Yar’Adua Rules out Military Solution in Niger Delta

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has refuted claims that his government was seeking British military assistance to quell the raging conflict in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. Speaking on Yar’Adua’s behalf, Presidential Adviser Olusegun Adeniyi told a Nigerian newspaper Tuesday that the government was keen on a peaceful resolution to the crisis, and had not considered any military solution. The Niger Delta has for years simmered under violent attacks on oil installations by local militant groups, who accuse the federal government and oil multinationals of leaving the region underdeveloped despite reaping its oil wealth. [PE]