Nigeria is warning a British-based mercenary outfit that it would resist any attempt to capture the former Liberian leader Charles Taylor, who is living in exile under Nigerian protection. "Anyone who comes into Nigeria illegally to carry out illegal acts will be treated as an outlaw and be given the punishment that outlaws deserve," said Remi Oyo, spokeswoman for President Olusegun Obasanjo. "I will not worry myself about head-hunters and those who are seeking bounty and booty."
| Good idea. Just put the whole idea out of your head... |
Northbridge Services Group Ltd is a "private military company" whose website lists offices in Britain, Luxembourg and Ukraine. It announced this week it is seeking investors for a mission to seize Mr Taylor and hand him to a war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone. "We are willing to split the profits of the reward should they be interested in furthering negotiations into funding an operation to bring the said indictee to the special court," Northbridge said. In September, the United States passed a law setting aside $2 million to serve as a bounty on Mr Taylor's head for anyone who could get him to Sierra Leone, where he stands accused of backing a brutal rebel group. The special tribunal in Freetown enjoys the support of the United Nations, and the global police agency Interpol has issued a warrant for Mr Taylor's arrest to face charges that he funded and incited atrocities there during the 1990s.
| Snatching deposed African dictators tends to make African dictators who haven't yet been deposed feel uncomfortable. |
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