Nigeria president wants rebel leader freed in days
* Yar'Adua orders militant's release without delay
* Militant group sabotages Chevron oil pipeline
* Rebels threaten further attacks on oil sector
(Adds MEND attack on Chevron pipeline, paragraph 4, 11-12)
By Felix Onuah
L'AQUILA, Italy, July 10 (Reuters) - Nigeria President Umaru Yar'Adua wants Henry Okah, on trial for gun-running and treason, to be freed in the next few days after the rebel leader welcomed the government's amnesty offer, a spokesman said on Friday.
Both sides still need to negotiate terms of the deal before Okah, the suspected leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), can be released, his lawyers told Reuters on Thursday. [ID:nL9680295]
If Okah is freed, it would raise hopes that MEND would agree to lay down its weapons and halt an offensive that has battered Africa's largest oil sector since May.
The militant group said late Friday it sabotaged an oil pipeline recently repaired by U.S. oil major Chevron (CVX.N) in the Niger Delta and threatened further attacks. [ID:nLA437845]
"President Yar'Adua has directed the minister of justice to immediately set the process of Okah's release in motion," said spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Italy.
"The president wants the whole issue sorted out without further delay. He should be released in a few days time," he added.
Yar'Adua ordered Justice Minister Michael Aondoakaa to complete the Okah deal without any "unnecessary legal procedures", Adeniyi said.
A meeting between Okah's lawyers and government officials was expected on Sunday or Monday.
KEY DEMAND
Okah's release has been one of the key demands from MEND, a loose faction of rebel groups responsible for attacks that have cut 300,000 barrels per day of production in the last six weeks.
MEND has dismissed the amnesty programme in its current form, but was willing to discuss its demands with the government.
The militant group warned oil companies not to repair any of its damaged oil facilities during the talks.
"Even when talks are on-going, there will be no repairs on any destroyed facilities until both parties agree on a common position on the region's future," MEND said in a statement.
Even if MEND and other militants agree to a ceasefire, it is far from assured that violence in the region will stop.
Oil theft and kidnappings for ransom have become lucrative trades in the Niger Delta, where the majority of residents live on less than $2 a day.
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/ ) (Additional reporting and writing by Randy Fabi)
* Militant group sabotages Chevron oil pipeline
* Rebels threaten further attacks on oil sector
(Adds MEND attack on Chevron pipeline, paragraph 4, 11-12)
By Felix Onuah
L'AQUILA, Italy, July 10 (Reuters) - Nigeria President Umaru Yar'Adua wants Henry Okah, on trial for gun-running and treason, to be freed in the next few days after the rebel leader welcomed the government's amnesty offer, a spokesman said on Friday.
Both sides still need to negotiate terms of the deal before Okah, the suspected leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), can be released, his lawyers told Reuters on Thursday. [ID:nL9680295]
If Okah is freed, it would raise hopes that MEND would agree to lay down its weapons and halt an offensive that has battered Africa's largest oil sector since May.
The militant group said late Friday it sabotaged an oil pipeline recently repaired by U.S. oil major Chevron (CVX.N) in the Niger Delta and threatened further attacks. [ID:nLA437845]
"President Yar'Adua has directed the minister of justice to immediately set the process of Okah's release in motion," said spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Italy.
"The president wants the whole issue sorted out without further delay. He should be released in a few days time," he added.
Yar'Adua ordered Justice Minister Michael Aondoakaa to complete the Okah deal without any "unnecessary legal procedures", Adeniyi said.
A meeting between Okah's lawyers and government officials was expected on Sunday or Monday.
KEY DEMAND
Okah's release has been one of the key demands from MEND, a loose faction of rebel groups responsible for attacks that have cut 300,000 barrels per day of production in the last six weeks.
MEND has dismissed the amnesty programme in its current form, but was willing to discuss its demands with the government.
The militant group warned oil companies not to repair any of its damaged oil facilities during the talks.
"Even when talks are on-going, there will be no repairs on any destroyed facilities until both parties agree on a common position on the region's future," MEND said in a statement.
Even if MEND and other militants agree to a ceasefire, it is far from assured that violence in the region will stop.
Oil theft and kidnappings for ransom have become lucrative trades in the Niger Delta, where the majority of residents live on less than $2 a day.
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/ ) (Additional reporting and writing by Randy Fabi)
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