Delta rebel amnesty creates crime wave
A crime wave blamed on former militants has hit Nigeria's main oil city of Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta, forcing its university to shut down and residents to flee. Lecturers and students say it has become too dangerous to work since a rehabilitation facility for the former rebels was established near the campus. The rebels are among thousands who took a presidential amnesty to lay down arms in exchange for education and jobs. But it seems the attempt to end years of unrest in the Niger Delta, where armed gangs blew up pipelines and kidnapped foreign oil workers, is in trouble. Nigeria’s government has said it will share 10% of oil revenues with the impoverished people of the Delta, but such promises are evidently not gaining traction fast enough. Read more: Reuters, FT.com
