Nigeria rebels hand over weapons

Abuja, 22 Aug-(ANA)-Hundreds of militants in Nigeria have handed over weapons at a ceremony in the southern Delta region.

The handover in Yenagoa, west of the oil city of Port Harcourt, took place after regional rebel leaders accepted an amnesty offer from the government.

However a faction of Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), the main rebel group, denounced the offer and said it would resume attacks.

Unrest in the region has seriously affected Nigeria's oil production.

The weaponry handed over on Saturday included hundreds of assault rifles, a number of rocket launchers, and at least 12 gunboats. (ANA)

FA/ANA/22 August 2009---