Nigeria's Yar'Adua meets 32 militant leaders from trouble-hit Niger Delta.

Text of report by George Oji, Ahamefula Ogbu and Justice Ilevbare entitled "Amnesty: Yar'Adua meets 32 militants; logistics, funds stall arms collection in Bonny; Asari accuses govt of bad faith" published by Nigerian newspaper This Day website on 8 August

Two days into the commencement of the federal government's amnesty programme, President Umar Yar'Adua yesterday met with 32 leaders of various militant groups from the Niger Delta at the State House, Abuja.

Also yesterday, confusion trailed the implementation of the amnesty plan in Rivers State because the designated arms submission point at Federal Government Primary School, Shell Road, Bonny Island was not functional.

Accompanied by Governor Timipre Silva of Bayelsa State, the militants publicly renounced violence and accepted the amnesty offer of the federal government.

At a ceremony which lasted about twenty minutes in Abuja and was attended by top security operatives and government officials, leaders of the militant groups publicly pledged to work with government to bring about peace and development in the region.

The president, who described the action of the militants to renounce violence and embrace the amnesty offer as extraordinarily courageous and a rare display of patriotism, promised that his …