Liberian ex-president Taylor's location unknown

Charles Taylor

CALABAR, Nigeria - The location of exiled former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who is wanted for war crimes by a court in Sierra Leone, was unknown on Monday and his spokesman in Nigeria would not give any information.

Nigeria said on Saturday the government of Liberia was free to take Taylor into its custody from his asylum in the southeastern Nigerian city of Calabar, but it has not given any details on when and how this would happen.

Rumours intensified over the weekend that Taylor had left Calabar, but Reuters has not confirmed these rumours.

Taylor's spokesman Sylvester Paasewe, who late on Saturday called Reuters to say the former warlord was in his villa in Calabar, refused to answer questions about Taylor on Monday.

"I'm not going to answer that question ... I am not telling you anything about him," Paasewe said in response to question about Taylor's whereabouts.

Taylor went into exile in 2003 as part of a deal to end Liberia's 14-year civil war, which spilled over into nearby countries including Sierra Leone. Taylor stands accused of supporting brutal rebels there in exchange for diamonds.

A spokeswoman for Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said she had no information about his whereabouts.

The prosecutor of the UN-backed court in Sierra Leone said on Sunday he had asked Obasanjo to have Taylor arrested to prevent him escaping, but the Nigerian president's spokeswoman said the request had not been received.

"We have not received the request. He (the prosecutor) is playing games in the media. When we receive it we will respond appropriately," Remi Oyo told Reuters.

Human Rights Watch on Sunday urged Nigeria to swiftly transfer Taylor to the Sierra Leone court as there were fears he would try and escape.

An adviser to Obasanjo, who did not wish to be named, said the Nigerian government's plan was to have Taylor out of the country before Obasanjo travels to Washington on Tuesday for a meeting with President George W. Bush on Wednesday.

The adviser did not give any details on how this would work and where Taylor would be taken.

The United States has been exerting strong pressure on Nigeria to send Taylor to the Sierra Leone court.

- REUTERS