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March 29, 2006
Nigeria returns ex-Liberia leader
Exiled former Liberian president and war crimes suspect Charles Taylor is being removed from Nigeria after being caught trying to escape custody.
A jet has taken off from Nigeria and is flying him to Liberia - ending his exile of nearly three years.
He is, however, primarily wanted by the war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone and could arrive there later on Wednesday.
The UN-backed tribunal's top prosecutor Desmond da Silva told the BBC he was delighted he had been arrested.
The BBC's Mark Doyle reports that it is likely UN peacekeepers in Liberia will arrest Mr Taylor immediately after his arrival, then send him on to the tribunal.
If and when he arrives in the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, a cell is waiting for him, our correspondent adds.
He faces 17 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over his alleged role in the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone where he is accused of backing rebels notorious for mutilating civilians.
Border check
Mr Taylor, in exile in Nigeria since 2003 after a deal ending Liberia's civil war, went missing on Monday from his southern villa after the country announced Liberia was free to detain him.
The departure of the jet from Nigeria was confirmed by a police source and officials, as well as eyewitnesses.
Mr Taylor was detained earlier by security forces in the town of Gamboru-Ngala, close to the Cameroon border in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Borno.
The former Liberian leader had arrived at the frontier in a Range Rover jeep with diplomatic corps number plates, a trader working at the Gamboru-Ngala border post told AFP news agency.
"He was wearing a white flowing robe," said Babagana Alhaji Kata.
"He passed through immigration but when he reached customs they were suspicious and they insisted on searching the jeep, where they found a large amount of US dollars.
"After a further search they discovered he was Charles Taylor."
Nigeria has arrested Mr Taylor's Nigerian guards and has launched an investigation.
'Vindicated'
News of Mr Taylor's capture came just before Mr Obasanjo left for a visit to the US for talks with President George W Bush.
American indignation at the disappearance of the war crimes suspect had been threatening to overshadow the meeting.
Speaking in Washington before meeting Mr Bush, Mr Obasanjo said he felt "vindicated" by the capture.
Those who had suggested Nigeria may have been complicit in Mr Taylor's initial escape were wrong and owed him an apology, he added.
Posted by Publisher at March 29, 2006 02:44 PM
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