Israeli ambassdor visit spark Nigerian riots

The Nigerian police say that about fifty people were arrested following weekend rioting sparked by a visit to the northern State of Gombe by the Israeli ambassador.

Officials said also four people died in the riots when an Islamic group opposed to the visit tried to organise a protest march.

Two churches were burnt down.

A senior police official said calm had now been restored.

There have been sporadic outbreaks of religious violence in northern Nigeria for many years, but tension has increased over the past twelve months with the rapid spread of Sharia, or Islamic law.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service