Nigerian police accused of murdering militant

Nairobi/Abuja - Nigerian police were on Thursday accused of executing a militant commander less than 24 hours after he was arrested. Ken Niweigha, the leader of the Egbesu Boys militia, was arrested and paraded before the press on Tuesday after women in the town of Odi alerted police to his presence. Police said he was then shot after he tried to lead them into a trap, but the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) - Nigeria's main militant group - claimed he was executed. 'He (Ken Niweigha) was summarily executed at the Bayelsa police headquarters on Wednesday, May 27, 2009,' MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in an emailed statement. 'The Nigerian government in authorizing extra-judicial killings is sending a clear message to youths from the region that it is better to die fighting for freedom than be killed by a lawless system of government,' he added. The police, however, said that 'Daddy Ken' - as Niweigha was known - promised to take them to his hideout in Odi and give up an arms stash there. Niweigha's men then attacked and attempted to free their leader, who was the only person killed in the shootout, police said. Human rights groups say that extra-judicial killings are common in Nigeria. Niweigha was arrested after several hundred women in Odi told police that he was hiding out in the town after fleeing an army offensive in the neighbouring Delta state. It is rare for residents to turn in militants, but the women were afraid that Niweigha's presence would bring in the army and lead to widespread casualties. An army attack on Odi 10 years ago - prompted by the killing of 12 policemen - caused dozens of civilian deaths and destroyed much of the town, according to Human Rights Watch. The army has in the last few weeks faced accusations of indiscriminately bombing villages as part of its campaign against militant groups disrupting oil production in the Niger Delta. Rights groups say hundreds have died as a result of the raids. Fighting flared up earlier in May, with the militants and the government issuing claims and counter-claims about military victories. MEND and other groups operating in the Niger Delta say they are fighting for a better share of wealth from the oil-rich region for local residents, who say the oil industry has ruined their agriculture and fishing livelihoods. However, the government says the rebels are criminal gangs intent on stealing oil or making money through extortion. Attacks on oil facilities and workers have cut oil production in Nigeria, one of the world's largest crude oil exporters, by around 20 per cent since 2006.