Gunmen kill Nigerian politician - police

2012-12-15 08:28

Kano - Gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead a prominent lawmaker in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, in the latest in a series of such attacks in a region hit hard by a radical Islamist group.

It was not clear who carried out the shooting in Kano, Nigeria's second city, but Boko Haram Islamists have repeatedly targeted politicians in the north as part of an insurgency that has killed hundreds since 2009.

"I can confirm that Danladi Isa Kademi, a lawmaker at the Kano state house of assembly was shot dead by two gunmen around 6:00 pm (1700 GMT) today," said Kano state police spokesman Magaji Majia.

"The gunmen came on a motorcycle and fired several shots into the lawmaker," who was serving as the minority leader in the state assembly.

Kademi was shot outside a guesthouse he owned, Majia said.

Another state politician was killed in similar circumstances last month in Kano, weeks after a prominent retired general, Mohammed Shuwa, was shot dead at his home in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.

Boko Haram, which has said it wants to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, is blamed for killing several well known leaders in the region.

Criminals not linked to Boko Haram are also believed to have carried out attacks under the guise of Islamist group.

- SAPA