Nigeria's government says they will relaunch an amnesty program for militants to disarm

Published November 17, 2014

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian official says the government will relaunch an amnesty program for militants who disarm to restore peace to the oil-rich delta region.

Timi Alaibe, the presidential advisor on the Niger Delta, said Wednesday the new program to rehabilitate ex-militants will begin the first week of June. He said the government hopes to target over 20,000 militants.

More than 8,000 militants disarmed in the amnesty offer last year, according to the government.

Attacks by militants last year crippled oil production. The late President Umaru Yar'Adua had tried to peacefully end the insurgency but those efforts frayed due to his increasing illness. New leader Goodluck Jonathan said peace in the Niger Delta, home to the country's oil industry, remains a priority.

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