(5 Jun 1996) English/Nat
The United States has called on the Nigerian government to bring to justice the gunmen who assassinated the wife of the country's imprisoned opposition leader.
Kudirat Abiola, an outspoken critic of the military government, was in her car when she was shot at close range near her home in Lagos.
At a press briefing in the wake of the assassination, the US State Department made it clear it expected the Nigerian government to act swiftly to track down Mrs Abiola's killers.
The 44-year-old wife of imprisoned opposition leader Moshood K. Abiola was ambushed by six gunmen as she returned home Tuesday morning.
The State Department said the killing had all the hallmarks of an assassination.
SOUNDBITE:
"That would appear to be the operative word - assassinated. We don't have much information as yet and we hope that the Nigerian authorities will look into this quickly and closely so that we can get the full story."
SUPER CAPTION: Glyn Davies, State Department Spokesman
Mrs Abiola has openly criticised the government of General Sani Abacha.
Her husband, a millionaire businessman who was widely believed to have won Nigeria's nullified 1993 presidential election, was jailed on a charge of treason in 1994 after he proclaimed himself president.
The United States denounced her murder, saying it expected a swift and thorough hunt for the killers.
SOUNDBITE:
"It's just too early to tell since this has just happened whether the killing was politically motivated but it does appear to have been an assassination and not an intended robbery so what we are engaged in doing is calling on the government of Nigeria to thoroughly investigate the crime, diligently pursue these killers and to ensure they're identified and duly prosecuted. It is a very sad occurrence and we deplore what has occurred and will try to develop information as soon as we can about it."
SUPER CAPTION: Glyn Davies, State Department Spokesman
Opposition politicians in Nigeria have expressed shock at the killing, saying they suspect government involvement.
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