Drowning stops Nigerian TV show

A Nigerian reality television programme has been suspended after a contestant drowned in preparation for the show, its sponsors said.

Anthony Ogadje, 25, and nine other contestants had gone to Nigeria's hilly Plateau State to prepare for the "Gulder Ultimate Search 4".

The programme sets a variety of physical challenges for participants and is fairly popular in Nigeria.

Mr Ogadje died suddenly and was thought to have drowned, show organisers said.

"All attempts to revive him by the attendant medical team and the life-guards, including his fellow contestants, failed," said Nigerian Breweries plc, sponsors of the show.

Broadcasting of the reality television programme had been due to start on Thursday.

Celebrities

In the show, the contestants are given tasks, such as finding a hidden treasure.

They are evicted one by one until a winner or "the last man standing" emerges.

The winner gets 5 million naira ($39,000) in cash, a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and another 500,000 naira ($4000) to buy clothes.

The prize money is a big attraction in a country where most people live in extreme poverty and benefit little from Nigeria's oil wealth.

Previous winners have become celebrities attracting sponsorship deals from corporate organisations.

The "Gulder Ultimate Search", which started three years ago, normally gets high ratings.

Gulder is the name of a local Nigerian beer brewed by the Nigerian Breweries plc, the local subsidiary of Dutch brewers Heineken.