Seven football supporters shot dead in Nigeria

Unidentified attackers shot dead at least seven football supporters as they drove to watch their team play its arch rival in Nigeria’s restive south, police said today.

Charles Muka, a state police spokesman, said attackers in a vehicle opened fire on the Ocean Boys Football Club supporters minibus today.

Seven of the fans on board died immediately and two have been taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Muka said an investigation was under way.

The incident happened in Delta State in Nigeria’s oil-producing region. Football is a popular pastime in Africa’s most populous nation but passions have rarely led to violence.