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Religious intolerance - in one of the most religious countries in Africa if not the world - is one of the issues dominating debate ahead of next year's elections.

It is rare to find a Nigerian who is not devout in a nation that is roughly divided into a mainly Muslim north and a largely Christian south.

The constitution guarantees religious freedom - the country has no official religion and none of its 36 states is allowed to adopt one. It also prohibits religious discrimination.

Yet many who live in areas where they are in a religious minority do feel discriminated against, and live in fear - and with good reason given the history of religious-based violence.

"We don't have freedom to worship. If you dress like a Muslim, you are in trouble. We are just hiding our religion in fear of not being attacked," Ibrahim Bello, a Muslim living in south-eastern Nigeria, told the BBC.

Obinna Nnadi, a Christian who once lived in northern Kaduna state felt similarly fearful: "I felt it was not safe to practise my religion there. I had to pack my family and leave."