By Mike Oboh

KAN0, Nigeria, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Six people were killed and over 250 arrested in the northern Nigerian state of Kano in weekend violence linked to local government elections, the state's chief of police said on Sunday.

International observers criticised Nigeria's national elections in April as "not credible" due to widespread vote-rigging and intimidation, and Kano's local ballot, whose results have yet to be announced, took a similar turn.

"We have arrested 254 persons across the state for crimes ranging from assault (and) burning of government properties to killing. Six persons were killed," Mohammed Aminu Yesufu, police commissioner for Kano state, told reporters.

"Violence erupted spontaneously in all the local government areas following disagreements between political party supporters." He said police had recovered hundreds of weapons including guns, machetes and knives.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and biggest producer of crude oil, returned to civilian rule in 1999 after three decades of almost continuous army dictatorship.

But eight years later, violence remains a key ingredient of the Nigerian political mix. The April elections for president, state governors and legislators were labelled "a charade" by the biggest domestic monitoring organisation.

Nigeria is one of the world's most corrupt countries and public office is mostly seen as an avenue to personal wealth.

Those who aspire to win elections are often prepared to hire armed thugs to intimidate voters or opponents and to bribe electoral officials to falsify results.

Although the official results of Kano's elections have not yet been released by the state electoral commission, unofficial results announced on local radio have already sparked widespread protests, with losing candidates complaining of rigging.

Human Rights Watch said in a report last month that violence and electoral fraud had made a mockery of Nigeria's young democracy and the country's civilian rulers had continued to routinely abuse basic human rights like their army predecessors. (Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Michael Winfrey)

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