Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was supposed to have arrived in Harare yesterday for talks with his Zimbabwean counterpart, President Robert Mugabe, failed to come following the assassination of Nigeria’s Justice Minister, Bola Ige. Ige, a renowned politician and critic of previous military rulers, was gunned down on Sunday [23 December] in Ibadan, the capital of the South West Oyo state.

The talks between the two leaders were expected to centre on progress made in the implementation of the Abuja Agreement and a general assessment of the land reform programme.

They were also expected to talk about the United States sanctions against Zimbabwe and the stance being taken by some Commonwealth countries to have Zimbabwe suspended from the grouping of the former British colonies.

Thousands of supporters had gathered at the Harare International Airport to welcome Obasanjo. The Nigerian high commissioner to Zimbabwe, Mr Wilberforce Juta, said given the importance and stature of Chief Bola Ige in Nigeria, President Obasanjo was forced to suspend his visit to a later date.