Opposition supporters in Nigeria’s Muslim north are rioting and setting fire to homes, as the Christian incumbent gained an insurmountable lead in the country’s presidential elections. Witnesses report youths in the northern city of Kano setting fire to homes that displayed the banner of President Goodluck Jonathan, who holds a commanding lead over the former military leader Muhammadu Buhari. In Kaduna, rioters burned tires and threw stones at police. Police Chief Suleiman Lawal said Sunday that there had been a “complete breakdown of law and order.” Election officials said they would continue to release election results despite the violence. Thousands have been killed in violent disputes between Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north and Christian south over the last decade, but the roots of the conflict are often more political and economic than religious.
