Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in the central state of Plateau which was hit by weeks of violence.

Obasanjo called the killing in the mainly Muslim town Yelwa by Christian militia, which sparked Muslim revenge violence in Nigeria's second largest city Kano last week, "a near mutual genocide."

About 1,000 people were feared dead in two weeks of fighting between Christians and Muslims which began as a land dispute but evolved into a religious conflict.

Obasanjo said Plateau state governor Joshua Dariye, whom he described as "weak and incompetent" and accused of fomenting the violence, was removed from office for six months under the state of emergency.

Retired general Chris Alli, former chief of army staff under late Sani Abacha, was appointed as interim administrator of the state.

"I hereby declare a state of emergency in Plateau state," Obasanjo said in a televised address. "If allowed, the crisis willengulf the entire nation."

Plateau has suffered intermittent clashes between the two rivals over fertile land. In September 2001, more than 1,000 people were killed during a week of sectarian violence in Jos. Andone report put the death toll in last three months at over 400.

As a multiethnic African country, Nigeria has a growing population of over 130 million belonging to 373 ethnic groups. Since Obasanjo took office in 1999, ending 15 years of military rule, Nigeria has seen frequent eruption of ethnic, religious and political violence that killed more than 10,000 people.

Source: Xinhua