 Henry Okah has been facing treason and gun-running charges |
The
BBC today reported the release of Henry Okah a one time Mend Millitant
Nigeria is to release militant leader Henry Okah because he has accepted a government amnesty offer, the presidential spokesman says.
But spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi said details of the release still needed to be worked out.
Henry Okah is a leader of the Mend militant group in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The government recently offered an amnesty to members of any militant group which laid down its weapons.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Italy, Mr Adeniyi said: "The president is delighted to hear that he [Mr Okah] has accepted the amnesty offer. With his acceptance, he will be released when the formalities are concluded."
A senior spokesman for the Mend rebels, General Boyloaf, confirmed to the BBC that, if Henry Okah was set free, the organisation would lay down its arms.
But he said the release of Henry Okah was just one issue - and there were other issues to be settled in the region.
Local rights
The Mend rebels have been fighting for an increased share of Nigeria's vast oil wealth in the Niger Delta region, but the government has in the past dismissed them as criminals.
The militants say they are fighting for the rights of local people in the delta.
Henry Okah is in custody facing trial on charges including gun-running after being arrested in Angola in 2007.
The government's amnesty offer is part of an effort to end years of rebel attacks on the Nigerian oil industry. Oil output has suffered because of such attacks.
The government has said militants who give up their weapons by October will benefit from a rehabilitation programme, including educational and training opportunities.
Correspondents say that even if Mr Okah is released, it is not clear whether there will be peace in the region.
They say that because the unrest in the Niger Delta is not a straightforward political struggle, there are doubts whether the amnesty alone will be enough to halt opportunistic attacks, oil theft and kidnapping.
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