Junta Arrests Leader of Rights Group

The military junta has arrested the leader of a human rights group that led several recent protests against the regime. Olisa Agbakoba, chairman of United Action for Democracy, was seized by police at the international airport in Lagos upon his return from Ghana, the group said in a statement. Police declined to comment. The group claimed responsibility for an anti-government protest in the southwestern city of Ibadan last week that left seven people dead and dozens of cars and homes burned. Gen. Sani Abacha, who took power in a 1993 coup, is expected to be the only candidate in presidential elections scheduled for August.