Gunmen from a radical Muslim sect attacked a town hall in Nigeria, killing at least 20 people who had gathered for a meeting of a Christian ethnic group.

One person was killed and 11 others were wounded after bombs rocked three football viewing centres in the central city of Jos in Nigeria.

At least two bombs detonated near beer halls in a rough neighbourhood of a central Nigerian city beset by religious and ethnic violence, causing unknown injuries, witnesses said.

Religious rioting in the Nigeria city of Jos has killed at least 21 people in recent days, as authorities seem to be unable to curb rising violence.

Two Nigerian soldiers who kidnapped Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel’s father at one point demanded a $4bn (€2.77bn) ransom they considered “chicken change” for the team.

CHELSEA midfielder John Obi Mikel played in Sunday’s draw at Stoke despite knowing his father had been abducted back in his Nigeria homeland.

Rioters set homes on fire and youths armed with machetes set up roadblocks through a Nigerian city plagued by violence between Christians and Muslims.

British banks allowed two Nigerian politicians on corruption charges to deposit millions in illicit money overseas largely without questions, a report claims today.

THE Vatican led a wave of revulsion yesterday at the slaughter of hundreds of Christians in Nigeria, as survivors told of how the killers hacked victims to death after snaring them in animal traps.

IRISH nationals in Haiti yesterday told of the horrific impact of the massive earthquake.

BIRD flu poses a major threat to Africa’s fight against its AIDS epidemic, challenging overburdened healthcare systems and stretching economies already hit by the impact of HIV, the UN’s AIDS chief said yesterday.

A deadly strain of bird flu may have emerged in eight of Nigeria’s 36 states, authorities said yesterday, amid concerns the virus had been spreading long before officials knew it was in Africa.

Caribbean Coral (20-1) poked his head in front right on the line to snatch victory by a short head in an amazingly tight finish to the Vodafone `Dash' Stakes.

NIGERIA’S president declared a state of emergency yesterday in the state of Plateau, sacking the governor and dissolving the state legislature following Muslim and Christian fighting that has killed hundreds.

Nigeria’s civilian president declared sweeping state of emergency powers today in violence-torn central Plateau state, replacing the elected governor with a former military general and dissolving the state legislature.

ATTEMPTS to mediate a bloody conflict in Nigeria, where attacks by a predominantly Christian tribe on a Muslim village killed at least 500 remained bogged down yesterday.

Attempts to mediate a bloody conflict in Nigeria, where attacks by a predominantly Christian tribe on a Muslim village killed at least 500, were bogged down today.

Tens of thousands of police and army troops guarded voting stations today as Nigerians cast ballots in tense municipal elections already marred by assassinations and other deadly attacks.

REBELS and the main opposition party withdrew from Ivory Coast's power-sharing government after security forces violently quashed an anti-government protest, killing over 30 protesters demanding implementation of a peace deal, officials said.

Security forces killed 11 demonstrators in Ivory Coast, as a massive march got under way today in the tank-guarded commercial capital, an opposition spokesman said.