Nigerian Opposition Figure Slain

Six gunmen shot and killed the wife of imprisoned opposition leader Moshood K. O. Abiola near her home Tuesday.

Kudirat Abiola, 44, an outspoken critic of the military government, was in her car when she was shot at close range. Her doctor, Ore Salomok, said she died about two hours later in the operating room at a local hospital. Salomok said Mrs. Abiola’s driver was also slain.

The United States and Britain called for a swift and thorough hunt for the killers. Opposition politicians, expressing shock at the slayings, suggested government involvement.

“They want to dominate us, but with the help of God, the will of the people will prevail,” said Michael Ajasin, 94-year-old leader of the opposition National Democratic Coalition.

Mrs. Abiola openly criticized Gen. Sani Abacha’s government. Her husband, who was widely believed to have won Nigeria’s nullified 1993 election, was imprisoned on a charge of treason in 1994 after he proclaimed himself president.