Nigeria: Opposition senatorial candidate killed days before election

An opposition senatorial candidate in Nigeria was killed in the southeastern Enugu State late Wednesday, ahead of the crucial general election on Saturday. According to the state police on Thursday, suspected members of two Biafran separatist groups which have been banned by authorities targeted vehicles from three different political parties including the Labour Party in simultaneous incidents at separate locations, news agency Reuters reported late Friday.

The police confirmed that Labour Party's senatorial candidate Oyibo Chukwu and his driver were killed. The police added that in a separate attack, a driver of a People's Democratic Party (PDP) campaign minibus was also killed.

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In the above cases, the attackers set vehicles ablaze with petrol bombs. Police also said on Thursday that a similar attempted attack on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party's gubernatorial candidate in Enugu. In a statement, Enugu State police commissioner, Ahmed Ammani urged citizens "not to succumb to the cowardly antics of the hoodlums, which is aimed at creating fear and to disrupt the electoral process".

The campaign for the general election in Nigeria ended on Thursday and polling will take place on Saturday. The election comes amid the country grappling with widespread insecurity from various armed groups, high inflation and growing poverty. Recently, the country has been hit by a cash crunch which sparked riots.

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On Thursday, the United States, Europe and other global governments urged Nigeria to ensure a peaceful election. For years, elections in the West African country have been marked by violence, ethnic tensions, vote-buying and clashes between supporters of rival parties.

"It is vital for Nigeria's stability and democratic consolidation that the process is conducted and concluded safely, fairly and credibly," according to a joint statement from the diplomatic missions of the United States, Britain, Australia, Japan, Canada and Norway. "We encourage all actors to intervene proactively to calm any tensions and avoid any violence," the statement added.

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