Nigeria recalls envoy after Gaddafi 'partition' comment
'Country should be partitioned between Muslims and Christians'
Nigeria yesterday recalled its ambassador to Tripoli after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's "irresponsible" suggestion that the country be partitioned between Muslims and Christians.
Abuja said it had recalled the ambassador over Colonel Gaddafi's "irresponsible utterances" which had made a mockery of his calls for African integration and unity.
"Our ambassador in Tripoli has been recalled for urgent consultations," said foreign ministry spokesman Ozo Nwobu.
The veteran Libyan leader's comments had "diminished his status and credibility," Mr Nwobu said, reading from a strongly worded statement which expressed the government's "very serious concern" and accused Col Gaddafi of "theatrics and grandstanding at every auspicious occasion".
Col Gaddafi, until recently the chairman of the African Union, proposed earlier this week that Nigeria follow the partition model of Pakistan as a way of ending repeated bouts of inter-religious violence.
Pakistan was formed in 1947 after the Muslim minority of predominantly Hindu India founded their own homeland.
Col Gaddafi suggested that a Christian homeland in the south could have Lagos as its capital while a Muslim homeland in the north would have Abuja as its principal city, while the two communities should peacefully agree to share Nigeria's huge oil and mineral wealth.
Hundreds of people were killed in the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in central Plateau State last week.
Plateau State, with Jos as its capital, is the de facto buffer between the predominantly Muslim north and the largely Christian and animist south.
"His comment on the crisis in Jos, Plateau State, are most unacceptable and unbecoming of any leader who claimed to advocate and champion the cause of African integration and unity," the ministry statement said.
Nigeria's 140 million population is almost equally divided between Muslims and Christians.
Col Gaddafi, in a speech to African student leaders, some of them Nigerian, said "the only thing that could put an end to the bloodshed... is the appearance of another Mohammed Ali Jinnah (Pakistan's founder) who established a state for the Muslims and another for the Christians."
The President of Nigeria's senate, David Mark, described Col Gaddafi earlier as "mad". Responding on Wednesday to a lawmaker in the upper house of parliament, Mr Mark said that Col Gaddafi's comments were hardly worth dignifying with a response.