THE United States Embassy in Nigeria has condemned the use of harmful political rhetoric as part of campaign strategies by politicians in the country.

The condemnation came on the heels of a statement credited to Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State who the embassy quoted as calling for the killing of the “cockroaches of politics.”

A statement from the embassy read, “As Nigeria looks ahead to the February 2015 general elections, the United States strongly supports a free, transparent, credible, and non-violent electoral process. We are deeply troubled by Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State’s recent statements calling for the killing of the ‘cockroaches of politics.’ The rhetorical threat of violence undermines the democratic process and is utterly unacceptable in a democratic society.