Nigerian ex-militant's protest has warning for president

AFP

17 March

Nigerian ex-militant's protest has warning for president

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — An ex-militant in Nigeria's oil region Tuesday led a march of over 1,000 youths and warned of a possible return to armed struggle if conditions did not improve in the impoverished delta.

Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, head of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, said during the march that armed struggle would be a last resort for his group if President Goodluck Jonathan did not take action in his native region within one year.

Jonathan, who won last month's presidential election, is the first head of state from the Niger Delta, the heart of one of the world's largest oil industries.

"We are on sabbatical," he said during the march in the oil hub of Port Harcourt, correcting someone who asked about his group having given up armed struggle.

"We are giving Goodluck a chance to make a difference to bring about change ... Goodluck does not have four years. He has one year."

He added that "armed struggle is a last resort."