Famous militant Soboma George killed

Three men wielding AK-47 assault rifles gunned down a former Niger Delta militant, Soboma George, in Port Harcourt today.
Mr George was reportedly playing football in the Rivers State capital at about 6pm in the company of a female friend and some of his loyalists when he was attacked.

Although details of the incident remain murky, Mr George, his female friend, and one other man were killed in the shootout.

The assailants allegedly made away with Mr George's body; the other corpses are said to be in the custody of the police.

Mr George, who had in the past been linked to the militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), accepted the federal government's amnesty offer last year.

Police in Nigeria said on Friday they had recovered the body of a powerful former gang leader, shot in oil hub Port Harcourt this week, and that three people were wanted for his murder.

Soboma George, a one-time militant leader accused of helping rig elections in the southern state of Rivers, was shot in what police said was a gunfight between rival gangs on Tuesday. It was initially unclear if he had been killed.

"The police have recovered the body of Soboma George. We are going to conduct an autopsy on his body after which it will be released to his family," Rivers state Police Commissioner Suleiman Abbah said.

A police spokeswoman showed reporters a picture of a body with gunshot wounds to the head.

George originally led a gang called the Outlaws but had strong political connections and a significant following among youths in Rivers state, of which Port Harcourt is the capital.