Nigerians wary of Taylor

2003-08-13 21:43

Calabar, Nigeria - Residents of Nigeria's serene southeastern city of Calabar fretted on Wednesday about the arrival of Charles Taylor, despite official reassurances that Liberia's ex-president and indicted war criminal would pose no threat to national security or to his neighbours.

Taylor, accompanied by his wife Jewel and an new entourage of about 50 people, arrived early on Tuesday to take up life in exile in Calabar, capital of Cross River state.

"He is a warmonger. I hope Nigeria has not made a big mistake by giving him asylum," 25-year-old Otu Etim Bassey, an engineering graduate in the city told AFP.

Taylor, a 55-year-old former warlord who faces war crimes charges in Sierra Leone, bowed to crippling international pressure and a rebel onslaught that had gained the upper hand, and resigned from office and left Liberia on Monday.

His main official host Cross River Governor Donald Duke said Taylor was "cooling off" and predicted a quiet stay in Calabar, but other residents were less serene.

"The man is a notorious criminal and a jail-breaker. Do not forget he is being wanted by a UN-backed war crimes tribunal sitting in Sierra Leone," Bassey said. "I do not know why President Olusegun Obasanjo granted him asylum."

Taylor, a charismatic but ruthless ruler, is alleged to have armed and trained rebels in exchange for diamonds during Sierra Leone's civil war, a decade-long conflict which ended in 2001 and was characterized by appalling violence, including deliberate amputation of limbs.

He already fled Liberia once to avoid embezzlement charges, landing in the United States. He was arrested there in the early 1980s, but escaped.

In Nigerian exile, Taylor must be watched closely "to avoid unpleasant circumstances," a human rights lawyer, 40-year-old Aniefiok Effiong, said.

"The government has to be extremely careful with Taylor. Granted, we should be our brothers's keeper but that should not be at the expense of our national interest and security," he stated.

Taylor is staying in a sprawling hilltop estate, including a palatial mansion and three adjoining dependencies, located in an upscale part of the quiet and historic city. - Sapa-AFP

- SAPA