Nigerian Justice Minister Bola Ige has been shot dead in his home in the south-eastern city of Ibadan.
Mr Igo, who is also Nigeria’s Attorney General, died after being shot once in the chest by a gang of gunmen who broke into his home last night.
The assailants forced his wife to leave their bedroom before shooting him, according to a relative.
Police have yet to establish a motive for the killing, but a Lagos newspaper has speculated that it could be linked to a violent political feud between the governor and his deputy in the south-eastern Osun state.
Mr Ige, who was 71, was one of the most outspoken campaigners for democracy under Nigeria’s former military rulers.