President Appeals for an End to Violence
President Olusegun Obasanjo toured city blocks destroyed by Muslim-Christian riots and appealed to Nigerians to not avenge their losses with more violence.
Police said at least 18 people were killed and 40 seriously injured in the northern city of Kano in weekend violence, which Obasanjo blamed on “mindless, thoughtless, faceless” people who, he said, killed and looted out of hunger and greed. Community leaders, however, put the death toll at more than 200.
Several churches and mosques were destroyed during the rampage, which began Saturday, a day after violent protests against the U.S. airstrikes on Afghanistan.
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