Nigeria amnesty panel says in talks with militant leaders

The African continent has been distrubed area for a long time and more and more diplaced internally, victims are moving and growing. Here is an effort to amnesty. Yahoo

38 mins ago

ABUJA (AFP) – A Nigerian presidential panel on implementing an amnesty for armed activists announced Tuesday that it was holding "informal talks" with key leaders of the various groups in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

"We, members of the amnesty panel, are in informal talks with everybody including Tompolo and Ateke Tom," the panel's spokesperson, Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, told AFP.

Government "Tompolo" Ekpemupolo of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities and Ateke Tom of the Niger Delta Vigilante force are two of the leaders of the region's militant groups, which have in the past three years sabotaged oil installations and kidnapped hundreds of oil workers.

"There is no negotiation, no formal dialogue but we are in talks informally, explaining to them that it is in their best interest to embrace the amnesty offered them," Koripamo-Agary said.

President Umaru Yar'Adua last June declared an unconditional amnesty for all militants in the region who laid down arms to embrace peace.

The amnesty runs from August 6 to October 4.

In response, the most sophisticated of the militant groups, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) declared a 60-day truce.

While some of the activists have publicly denounced the militancy and surrendered their arms, there are yet many other groups yet undecided on the amnesty offer.

Militant activities have disrupted operations of oil companies in southern Nigeria, resulting in a sharp decline in production and consequently a loss of revenue for the country.

Groups such as MEND say that they are fighting to ensure that the people of the Niger Delta benefit from the oil income.