THE revered leader of Nigeria’s Muslim community and other high-ranking national dignitaries were killed yesterday when their plane crashed soon after taking off from the capital, Abuja.

Muhammadu Maccido, the Sultan of Sokoto and spiritual head of the country’s 55 milion Muslims, was among about 100 passengers and crew who died.

His son, who was a state senator, and another leading politician who was the heir to one of Nigeria’s richest men also died.

Security forces sealed off the crash site in woodland, two miles from the end of the runway at Abuja airport.

The Boeing 727 belonged to Aviation Development Company, a privately owned domestic airline. The VIP passengers were heading to the city of Sokoto in northwest Nigeria.

Aviation officials dismissed rumours of foul play, suggesting that the aircraft had got into difficulties in a fierce storm. A spokesman for the Aviation Ministry said that the Boeing had crashed less than a minute after take-off.

It was the country’s third air disaster in less than a year.

Rescue workers said that they managed to pull at least six people from the wreckage. They were being treated in hospital last night.

Local television pictures showed the Boeing’s tail hanging from a tree. Personal belongings and debris were strewn across an area the size of a football pitch. Witnesses said that they had found scores of bodies still strapped in their seats.

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A spokesman for the Sokoto state government confirmed that Sultan Maccido, who was head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, was among the victims. The council decides policy issues for Nigeria’s overwhelmingly Sunni Muslims, who make up nearly half of the country’s 130 million population.

Last night the council said in a statement: “We are devastated by the tragic plane crash. It has left the Muslim faithful without leadership.”

His body was flown to Sokoto yesterday and buried, in accordance with Islamic custom. The Sokoto state government declared six days of mourning.

Among many Muslims the Sultan’s decrees carry more weight than those of the country’s president, though it is a largely ceremonial role.

Muhammadu Maccido was elected to the post in April 1996 and was revered across a huge area of West Africa. The Sultan will be remembered for his intervention to end sporadic clashes between Nigeria’s Muslim and Christian communities.

His son, Muhammed Maccido, who was a senator in Sokoto, was also on the plane, along with Abdulrahman Shehu Shagari, son of Shehu Shagari, Nigeria’s President from 1979 to 1983.

Among those feared dead were the state’s deputy governor, education commissioner and two senators.

Inside the terminal, police and airline staff struggled to restrain relatives of passengers who were anxious to discover the identities of the few survivors. President Obasanjo has ordered an investigation.

Safety record

Last December an aircraft crashed near Port Harcourt, the oil city, 107 people died, mostly schoolchildren going home for Christmas

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