Shoot-to-kill orders issued in Nigeria after riot

Washington Post (AP)

18 January 2011

Shoot-to-kill orders issued in Nigeria after riot 

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Soldiers patrolling Nigeria's volatile central region received shoot-to-kill orders after a Christian mob killed a Muslim election worker and set his body on fire, an army spokesman said Tuesday.

The death Monday in Jos, a flashpoint of religious tension between Nigeria's two dominant religions, comes as technical problems continue to plague the nation's effort to register 70 million eligible voters before a crucial April presidential election.

The new orders in Jos allow soldiers to kill anyone trying to hurt another person or destroy a home, church or mosque in the city and surrounding areas, Capt. Charles Ekeocha said. The military has been a dominant presence in the city since violence began there last year that has left more than 500 dead.