Nigerian President Appoints New Head for Oil Region Amnesty

(Bloomberg) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari appointed a new coordinator for the implementation of the amnesty granted to militants who disarmed in the southern Niger River delta, home to the country’s oil and gas industry.

Charles Dokubo, a political science professor at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Lagos, will replace Paul Boroh, a retired general, according to an emailed statement by presidential spokesman Femi Adesina. Buhari also ordered an investigation of allegations of “financial impropriety” in the implementation of the amnesty program, he said.

The amnesty was put in place in 2009 and encouraged thousands of militants in the oil region to give up their weapons in exchange for rehabilitation and skills training. Attacks by armed groups in the region frequently disrupt the output of Africa’s biggest crude producer.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dulue Mbachu in Abuja at dmbachu@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net, Pauline Bax

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