Miss World journo flees Nigeria

2002-11-26 20:04

Lagos - The author of an article on the Miss World pageant considered blasphemous by many Nigerian Muslims has fled the country after a violent backlash, a senior source at her former newspaper said.

The source, who asked not to be identified, said: "I can confirm to you that she has left Nigeria."

An article published by the daily, This Day, on November 16 angered Nigerian Muslims by suggesting that the Prophet Mohammed would have approved of the Miss World competition and might have married one of the contestants.

Riots broke out in the northern city of Kaduna which left around 220 people dead, and forced pageant organisers to abandon plans to stage this year's contest in Nigeria.

On Tuesday the mainly Muslim state of Zamfara announced a "fatwa" calling Muslims to kill the reporter, Isioma Daniel.

This Day had repeatedly apologised for the article, insisting that Saturday editor Simon Kolawole - who has been arrested by federal authorities - had attempted to cut the offending phrase but had been let down by the paper's editing software.

Daniel's mobile telephone was not responding on Tuesday.

Her article has also been attacked by Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo and by Miss World president Julia Morley, and Nigeria's state security service said last week it was seeking to arrest her.

This Day managing director Victor Ifijeh said that Daniel - whom the paper described as "a style reporter that had just joined This Day after a short journalism career in the UK" - had resigned her post. - Sapa-AFP

- SAPA