Nigerian minister murdered

Nigeria's president, Olusegun Obasanjo has called an emergency cabinet meeting and cancelled travel plans, according to reports

ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's justice minister has been killed by attackers who broke into the bedroom of his home, officials and family members said.

Bola Ige -- also the country's attorney-general -- was shot dead by single bullet to the chest on Sunday night, a relative confirmed to the Associated Press news agency.

President Olusegun Obasanjo called an emergency cabinet meeting for Monday, officials told Reuters.

The attackers, who have not been identified, broke into 71-year-old Ige's home in the southeastern city of Ibadan.

"We received the news with great shock," Information Minister Jerry Gana told the Reuters news agency. "That's all I can say right now."

A presidential aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the death without giving details.

Obasanjo had been due to travel to Harare on Monday to meet Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe but cancelled those plans as soon as he heard the news, the aide said.

No motive for the killing has been determined, but a Lagos newspaper speculated it could be linked to a violent feud between the governor of the southeastern Osun State and his deputy, the AP reported.

Osun State legislator Odunayo Olagbaju was killed outside his home last week, sparking riots in the city of Ife that left a reported five people killed.

Olagbaju had supported Osun deputy governor Iyiola Omisore. Ige had apparently backed Osun State Gov. Bamidele Adebisi Akande, the newspaper ThisDay said, according to the AP.

Ige campaigned for democracy under Nigeria's former military rulers.

He founded the Alliance for Democracy, one of Nigeria's three registered political parties. He had been chosen to serve on the U.N. international law commission just weeks ago.