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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Key Nigerian militant accepts govt amnesty |
| 2009-07-11 |
| [Mail and Globe] A key militant in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta detained since September 2007 has accepted President Umaru Yar'Adua recent offer of unconditional amnesty, his lawyer said on Thursday. "Henry Okah has accepted the unconditional amnesty as offered by President Yar'Adua," Femi Falana said. Yar'Adua on June 25 declared an unconditional pardon for armed groups who say they are fighting for a greater share of the oil wealth. The amnesty offer remains open until October 4. "He [Okah] is worried about his deteriorating state of health in detention and he wants to be released soonest," he said. Falana, a human rights activist, said that his client "has not yet signed any formal document on his acceptance of the amnesty offer as talks were ongoing between government officials and his lawyers on details of his release." Yar'Adua is upbeat about the militant's acceptance of his amnesty offer, presidential spokesperson Olusegun Adeniyi said. "The president feels elated by the acceptance of amnesty offer by Mr Henry Okah," Adeniyi said in a statement sent from Italy. "Before he left Abuja yesterday [Wednesday], the president mandated the attorney general of the federation to work with Falana to tidy up the legal process so that Okah's release can be effected," he stated. Yar'Adua, who arrived on Thursday in L'Aquila, Italy, for the Group of Eight summit, urged the remaining militant leaders "to avail themselves of the amnesty offer so as to pave the way for peace and rapid development in the Niger Delta". |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 he's already detained, ill, and accepts amnesty to fight again another day. Jeebus |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-07-11 08:26 |