afrol News, 14 July - Nigerian authorities have freed the Niger Delta’s militant, Henry Okah, as part of the government amnesty to ease tensions in the oil rich region.

The government has dropped treason and gun-smuggling charges against Mr Okah, who was arrested in Angola in 2007.

However, reports said Mr Okah had denied being the head of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), even though the group had on top of its demands, the release of Mr Okah.

The Federal Government offered an amnesty to members of militant group in June, in a bid to end years of rebel attacks on the oil industry, which threatens to cripple the country’s economy.

Officials said any rebel willing to give up their weapons by October would benefit from a rehabilitation programme, including education and training opportunities.

Meanwhile, local reports have revealed that just hours before Mr Okah was released by the government, MEND fighters killed five oil workers in an attack on an oil tanker wharf in Lagos.

Mend says it is fighting for greater autonomy for the Niger Delta and a fairer distribution of its oil wealth.

State-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says that monthly oil revenue this year has dropped to around $1bn from an average of $2.2bn in 2008.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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