Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez has threatened to nationalize Toyota Motor’s assembly plant and turn it over to a Chinese company. The incendiary statement came as Chávez accused Toyota of failing to produce enough vehicles appropriate for rural areas of the South American country. He made the same threat to Fiat and General Motors, which also operate plants in the country and also said the international automakers are not transferring enough of their corporate new technology to local plants. The Wall Street Journal quoted Chávez as saying in a televised speech that his trade minister will inspect the Toyota plant and if it doesn’t meet standards, “We’ll take it, we’ll expropriate it, we’ll pay them what it is worth and immediately call on the Chinese.” Toyota built some 13,000 vehicles in Venezuela last year, the paper reported. The threat appears less idle in that the Chávez administration has already nationalized electrical, cement, coffee and oil services and many foreign-owned companies. However, industry watchers say the government is mainly looking to gain favor from the Venezuelan public by criticizing auto companies amid a recession and a shortage of cars for sale in the country. Toyota itself threatened to leave Venezuela earlier this year amid union problems after more than a half-century in the country. Toyota is preparing to launch an ultra-low-cost car for emerging markets that will be sold in India and Brazil. Such a product could meet the demand for a vehicle better suited to the Venezuela market. There are no plans to sell the car in Venezuela at the moment. Violence linked to an Islamist sect in northern Nigeria killed at least four people Monday, residents in the city of Bauchi told media. The police confirmed that “an incident” took place in the city’s Zango district but declined to give details. Two Bauchi residents stated that they saw four bodies lying on the streets and that soldiers had surrounded the district. “This morning, I saw four dead bodies: two soldiers and a policemen in uniform, and another person in plain clothes,” said Zango resident Adamu Shehu. He said they were killed in separate attacks by members of the radical Islamic sect, Kala-Kato, as they were passing through the district. “Members of the group had a fiery preaching session yesterday (Sunday) night during which they attacked government and western education,” Shehu said. Another resident, Ibrahim Hayatu, also said he saw “four dead bodies” on the street, describing Zango as an “enclave” for sect members. At least 800 people were killed in July when security forces crushed an uprising in Bauchi, Kano, Yobe and Borno states in the Muslim-dominated north by members of another radical sect, Boko Haram. “We have received reports on some incidents in the Zango area,” Bauchi State Police spokesman Mohammed Barau told reporters. “I cannot say much on the issue now because details on it are still sketchy. We are awaiting a comprehensive report before we can comment on the situation,” he said. The Zimbabwean government has offered multinational Nestlé assurances as to the safety of managers and staff aiming to end a dispute that led the company to suspend operations in the country after managers came under heavy pressure to buy milk from a dairy controlled by President Robert Mugabe’s family. Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube said Friday that he called a meeting of Nestlé executives, representatives of Gushungo Dairy Estate which is controlled by Grace Mugabe, the president’s, and officials of Dairiboard Zimbabwe, a state-controlled milk processing and distribution enterprise. It was proposed that milk produced by Gushungo would be purchased through a cooperative arrangement involving Dairiboard, and that Nestlé would purchase raw milk from the cooperative for an arms-length relationship with Gushungo. Nestlé severed a supply relationship with Gushungo in October under pressure from international human rights activists who put a spotlight on the Mugabe family’s control of the dairy operation seized in the name of land reform. The multinational unit suspended operations after officials including ministers of Mr. Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party reportedly attempted to compel Nestlé to accept a tank truck full of raw milk. Nestlé alleged harassment and intimidation. Industry Minister Ncube told VOA Studio 7 reporter Gibbs Dube that the dairy would no longer interfere with the operations of one of the largest producers of milk products in Afridca. He said that Nestlé Zimbabwe has the right to independently control processes and food safety in its operations. Nestlé management declined to comment. But sources close to the company said it was satisfied with the proposal and intended to resume operations. Other reports said a decision from Nestlé’s Swiss headquarters was awaited.