The Nigerian government will empower its special military force in the volatile oil-rich Niger Delta to better fight militants in the region, President Umaru Yar'Adua said Thursday.
"We are funding and repositioning the Joint Task Force (JTF) to enforce law and order in the area," said Yar'Adua at a meeting of the national executive of his ruling People's Democratic Party.
He said the National Security Council will meet next week to finalise new rules of engagementm, and that the government will release funds to the JTF "to acquire the proper capacity to be able to enforce law and order."
He also said his administration is considering granting amnesty to militants who are ready to lay down arms and reintegrate into society.
"We are working on terms for the granting of amnesty for those who are prepared to lay down their arms," he said.
Militants in the region claim they are fighting for a better share of oil wealth for local people. But the government considers them to be oil thieves, known locally as bunkerers.
The stealing of crude oil by armed gangs, pirates and their foreign collaborators costs Nigeria millions of dollars in lost revenue every year.
The past three years have seen an upsurge in militant activities in the region with frequent attacks on foreign oil companies and a wave of kidnappings of expatriate employees.
Daily production in Nigeria currently stands at around 1.78 million barrels, according to the International Energy Agency against some 2.6 million barrels in 2006.
