Five Christian Students Killed in Northern Nigeria
by Obed Minchakpu
September 21, 2001
ZARIA, Nigeria (Compass) -- Five Christian students died during a clash between Muslim and Christian students of the Kaduna State Polytechnic University in Zaria city in northern Nigeria.
The conflict broke out on Monday, August 27, during students' union elections of the school, which saw the Christian students' candidates sweeping the polls.
"The Muslim students attacked Christian students, injuring many of them, some of whom were hospitalized, and five of them were killed," Mr. Sunday Oibe, Youth Christian Association of Nigeria leader, told Compass in Zaria.
Oibe said that when the results of the students' polls were announced showing that contesting Christian students had won the elections, their Muslim counterparts began attacking Christian students.
He believes that the conflict is a result of the tension created by the introduction, adoption, and implementation of the Islamic legal code, or "sharia," in several states in northern Nigeria. Oibe stressed that the Islamic legal code has led to the polarization of Nigerians along religious lines.
Copyright 2001 Compass News Direct. Used with Permission.