THE Nigerian government announced yesterday at the United Nations in New York plans to undertake a series of democratic reforms, notably proposing to exclude military personnel from special courts in which civil disobedience cases are heard.
The measures were contained in a letter to the UN Secretary General, Dr Boutros Boutros Ghali, from Mr Auwalu Hamisu Yadudu, legal adviser to the Nigerian leader, Gen Sani Abacha.
They address in particular the Ogoni tribe, and were taken following a report from a UN fact finding mission in Nigeria, a spokesman from the world body said.
According to the document the Civil Disturbance Act that led to the conviction and eventual hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa and eight others "will be amended" to prohibit military personnel on the tribunal and to allow for the appeals of verdicts. The government will investigate whether there are "peculiar ecological and environmental problems in the Ogoni area", it said.
Mr Saro Wiwa, an Ogoni activist, had accused Shell of ravaging parts of the Niger delta by reckless drilling for oil.
According to the letter from Mr Yadudu, Gen Abacha has ordered the "immediate review of the cases of all persons currently being detained without trial" under a 1984 decree.
The letter also said the 1984 statute, known as Decree No 2, which allows people suspected of facts prejudicial to state security" to be detained without trial, will be changed in order to allow for a review every three months of those cases.
In addition, the government said it will repeal the 1994 Decree No 14, which suspends courts' ability to issue writs of Habeas Corpus, generally a step in the court appeals process.
Mr Yadudu said that Gen Abacha appreciated Dr Boutros Ghali's efforts to help Nigeria "return the country to a democratically elected civilian administration in 1998".
The declarations were contained in an "interim response to the report of the UN fact finding mission, which was sent to Nigeria in the wake of the hangings of Mr Saro Wiwa and his companions.
Dr Boutros Ghali yesterday called the Nigerian response "encouraging".