Lagos considers freeing Abiola

Lagos - Nigeria's military government yesterday agreed to consider a request by the umbrella labour congress to free the opposition politician Moshood Abiola and others.

An official communique read on state radio said this was the outcome of a meeting held in Lagos between representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the government.

'The meeting agreed that the government should look into the request made by the NLC to release Chief M K O Abiola and other political detainees,' said the communique. Nigeria's oil workers unions have been on strike to press for the release of Mr Abiola, the business tycoon widely believed to have won last year's annulled presidential vote and now charged with treason for proclaiming himself the country's president. Reuter