Nigeria ready to hand over exiled warlord Taylor

Nigeria’s announcement that it is ready to hand over exiled Liberian warlord Charles Taylor – the first former African head of state indicted for crimes against humanity and war crimes – is a reluctant gesture that sends a powerful message to other warmongers on the continent.

Taylor, accused of harbouring the al-Qaida suicide bombers who attacked the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 by an international war tribunal, would be the first former African head of state to stand trial for such crimes.