Hundreds of fighters loyal to two Nigerian rebel leaders surrendered their weapons and accepted amnesty on Saturday after years of fighting in the oil-producing Niger Delta.
Militant commanders Ateke Tom and Farah Dagogo, whose fighters have mounted many of the attacks on the oil industry in the eastern Niger Delta, led gunmen from their camps in the mangrove creeks of the Niger Delta to the oil hub of Port Harcourt.
President Umaru Yar'Adua has offered all gunmen in the Niger Delta an unconditional pardon if they surrender their weapons by Sunday.
The offer was one of the most serious attempts yet to stem unrest which has prevented Nigeria from producing much more than two-thirds of its oil capacity, costing it billions of dollars a year in lost revenue.
"Today I disarm and I urge others who are yet to do so to also disarm," Tom said at a ceremony in Port Harcourt attended by government and military officials.
"I believe Yar'Adua is sincere. He wants to develop the Niger Delta, so let's give him a chance."
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