Death toll from Miss World protests stands at 215

LAGOS, Nigeria -- The death toll from sectarian violence over the Miss World pageant in Nigeria rose to at least 215 -- more than double previous estimates -- a Red Cross official said Sunday.

The violence in Kaduna -- and to a lesser extent in the capital, Abuja -- began after a newspaper article suggested that Islam's founding prophet might have taken one of the contestants for a wife. The contest was moved to London after the outbreak of rioting among Muslims and Christians.

More deaths than thought

Emmanuel Ijewere, president of the Nigerian Red Cross, told The Associated Press the relief organization had counted 215 bodies on the streets and in mortuaries in Kaduna by late Saturday night. Previous estimates had put the death toll at about 100.

One policeman and one soldier were arrested for allegedly dragging 15 Muslim men out of their homes and killing them, said Shehu Sani of the Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress. The victims' bodies were then thrown into a river, he said.

There were also allegations that police and soldiers gunned down more than a dozen other civilians, Sani said. A police spokesman could not immediately confirm the reports.

There were no immediate reports of deaths in Abuja, where the rioting was suppressed within about two hours. The fighting in Kaduna began Wednesday and continued until late Saturday.

An unknown number of others who died in the riots were believed to have been buried by family members, Ijewere said.

About 500 people were injured and 4,500 lost their homes in Kaduna. At least 22 churches and 8 mosques were destroyed in the rampage.

Families ventured out of their homes Sunday morning to go to church and replenish food stocks.

The violence erupted after the ThisDay newspaper published an article on Nov. 16 suggesting that Islam's prophet would have approved of the Miss World pageant.

"What would Muhammad think? In all honesty, he would probably have chosen a wife from among them," Isioma Daniel wrote in the article.

Retaliatory violence

On Friday and Saturday, the fighting was mainly Christians retaliating against Muslims, Ijewere said.

"Some Christians feel especially bitter because with the exit of Miss World, they have lost a symbolic battle while the Muslims have won," Ijewere said. "Our greatest fear is that it could spread to other cities now."

Ethnic and religious fighting is common in Africa's most populous nation, where thousands have been killed in clashes since civilian government replaced military rule in 1999.