Nigeria Reportedly Frees Ex-President
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LAGOS, Nigeria — Former Nigerian President Shehu Shagari and his deputy were released after 30 months in detention, but their movements will be restricted, official sources reported.
Shagari and his deputy, Alex Ekwueme, were arrested Dec. 31, 1983, when their four-year-old civilian government was overthrown in a military coup. They are believed to have been held under house arrest in Lagos.
The sources said that the two were being taken to their native areas, which they will not be allowed to leave. Shagari is from Sokoto state in northern Nigeria, and Ekwueme is from Anambra state in the east. A judicial panel cleared them in January of allegations of corruption and recommended to the military government that they be freed. But their release was delayed by political considerations.
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