 A supporter walks past a campaign poster of slain governor candidate Funso Williams in Lagos July 27, 2006. Williams of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was killed on Wednesday night at his Lagos home in what police said could be a political assassination, the latest sign of rising violence ahead of general elections next year. REUTERS/George Esiri (NIGERIA)
 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial aspirant for Lagos State, Chief Funsho Williams was assassinated today at his Dolphin Estate house in Ikoyi Lagos. It will be the second time an attempt will be made on his life since last week according to family source. Saharareporters gathered from sources in Lagos that persons suspected to be hired assassins invaded his home and strangled him to death in his private library at about 11:15 AM Nigerian time. The Nigeria Police Force headquarters said they have no information about those responsible for Funso’s killing. The murder of Funso Williams marks the second on governorship candidates in Nigeria since last month, the first being the murder of Chief Jesse Aruku the ACD gubernatorial candidate in Plateau state. Funso Williams was born on May 9, 1948 in Lagos as Anthony Olufunsho Williams; he attended St. Paul's Catholic School, Ebute-Metta, St. Gregory's College, Obalende in 1971, and graduated from the University of Lagos where he studied Civil Engineering. He also had a Masters Degree in civil engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology USA in 1974. Williams worked for Lagos State government for 17 years as a civil servant. In 1994, he served as the commissioner of works under the military governor of Lagos, Olagunsoye Oyinlola. He is married to Hilda (Nee Nelson), and they both have four kids. Mrs. Hilda Funso –Williams is currently in New York visiting her children
From Reuters----------- LAGOS, Nigeria - A leading Nigerian politician was found strangled in his home Thursday, a police spokesman said. Funsho Williams, a potential candidate for governor of wealthy Lagos state, defected from the opposition three years ago to join the ruling party. He had vowed to wrest control of the state, home to the country's main city, from the opposition party Alliance for Democracy. Footage on Nigerian state television showed police lines around Williams' home and a large crowd of onlookers. Haz Iwendi, a police spokesman based in the capital, Abuja, said an investigation was underway, and four policemen guarding the residence have been arrested. "We cannot say for now if it is politically motivated," Iwendi said. "It could be intra-party, it could be inter-party, it could be business. We are looking at all options." Williams, a former engineer who later became chairman of the National Maritime Authority, has run for governor twice in the past. Recent interviews he gave to local papers suggested he planned to run in the next ballot in April. Posters with his face and "Lagos 2007" are plastered throughout the city of Lagos, though he had not officially entered the race. After a recent building collapse in Lagos that killed 20 people, Williams toured the site, offering aid to survivors and blaming corruption within the current government for the disaster. Earlier this month, a candidate for governor of Plateau state was abducted and shot to death on his way home from a political rally. No arrests have been made. Oil-rich Rivers state has also seen a spate of bombings aimed at the houses of prominent politicians and their families. Police said they were investigating three attacks that occurred in the last two months. Human Rights Watch estimated that more than 100 people were killed in election-related violence during Nigeria's last general ballot, in 2003.
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