THE RIGHTS OF ONE VS THE RIGHTS OF MANY

A man in the street comments on the death in police custody of a Nigerian Islamic radical:

I want to see the body of Mohammed Yusuf to know the man who has caused us so much pain and hardship. May his soul rot in hell.

Nigerian officials claim Yusuf, whose body was apparently riddled with bullets, was killed trying to escape. Rights groups aren't buying this explanation but the government, at this point at least, doesn't seem to care:

Nigerian information minister Dora Akunyili told BBC World television: "How he died is a big issue... because Nigeria believes in the rule of law, Nigeria believes that fundamental human rights should be respected. But what is more important is stopping the killing from spreading to other northern states."

Maybe police should have tried "we were cleaning our guns and they just went off..."