Nigerian militant leaders surrender weapons under amnesty

THREE top Nigerian militant leaders in the volatile oil hub of the Niger Delta gave up their weapons along with thousands of fighters on Saturday under a government amnesty.

A senior commander of the main armed group, MEND, surrendered his weapons in the oil city of Port Harcourt, on the eve of the expiry date of the amnesty extended to rebels who have wrought havoc on Nigeria’s oil industry inrecent years.

“I, Farah Dagogo, overall field commander for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), accept together with field commanders in Rivers state, the presidential offer of amnesty to militants who lay down their weapons.