http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4315126.stm
Last Updated: Thursday, 6 October 2005, 11:43 GMT 12:43 UK Nigeria oil rebel treason charge Asari says he wants Ijaws to benefit more from Nigeria's oil wealth Nigerian separatist militia leader Mujahid Dokubo Asari has been charged with treason for which he could face the death penalty. Mr Asari denied that charge and several others including unlawful assembly and conspiracy in a court in the capital. He shouted "Freedom to my people!" before being led from the courtroom. He was detained two weeks ago following a newspaper interview in which he was quoted as calling for the dissolution of Nigeria. His arrest sparked protests in the oil-producing Niger Delta region in southern Nigeria. Mr Asari says he is fighting for the self-determination of the Ijaw people and greater local control of the profits from the oil and gas industries. Threats The BBC's Mannir Dan Ali in Abuja says that if convicted by the court for treason, Mr Asari could be sentenced to death or face life imprisonment. It is not clear how his Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF) will react to these charges that carry such steep penalties, our correspondent says. Hundreds of armed police blocked roads surrounding the Abuja court. After his detention two weeks ago, Mr Asari's supporters threatened oil production in the Niger Delta if he was not released and at one point US oil company Chevron was forced to shut down one of its facilities in the area. The NDPVF also told expatriate oil workers to leave the area, but later withdrew the threat. The Niger Delta remains one of Nigeria's poorest and least developed regions, although it accounts for most of the 2.4 million barrels of oil produced by Nigeria, Africa's largest oil-producer, each year. Last year, the NDPVF contributed to a sharp rise in world oil prices when it threatened war against oil companies. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpgUKB/pzNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
