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Former ruler highlights danger of militias

Former Nigerian head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar at the weekend criticised the emergence of ethnic militias in the country, saying they endangered democracy.

“Their existence cannot solve and will not tackle the problem of poverty, as they themselves constitute problems of law and order,” he was quoted on Monday by ‘The Guardian’ of Lagos as saying.

He said some people equated democracy with anarchy and cited the example of the Yoruba Oodua People’s Congress, whose members attacked people from the Hausa ethnic group in Lagos in October. More than 100 people were killed in the violence.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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