Nigerian militant leader Henry Okah has been freed as part of a government amnesty deal offered to activists disrupting the key oil industry sector, after treason charges against him were dropped. His release prompted his militant MEND group to declare a 60-day ceasefire in their oil war in the Niger Delta. Okah, 45, a marine engineer, was arrested in Angola in September 2007 for arms and explosives trafficking along with a colleague, Edward Atata. He was was extradited to Nigeria in February 2008. Police then identified him as 'an international gun-runner and a major oil bunkerer (thief) in the Niger Delta.' At the time he had 63 charges laid against him, among them 'acts of sabotage against installations, complicity in bank robberies, hiring of mercenaries and attempts to overthrow some governments in the sub-region, sourcing of arms and ammunition; acquisition of surface to air missiles and theft of weapons and ammunition.' He was also accused of sponsoring militant activities, kidnapping, hostage taking and piracy, and killing of foreign oil workers, security personnel and innocent persons in the Niger Delta, the heart of Nigeria's oil industry. The charges were later reduced to three - treason, treasonable felony and conspiracy. 'I am happy that the federal government has released me,' Okah told reporters outside the courtroom on Monday, just before he was taken away by security to finalise the release formalities. It was his first media interview in the 20 months he was detained. During his incarceration he complained to his lawyers of attempts by authorities to kill him, alleging poisonous snakes were released into his cell. With Okah known to have a kidney ailment, militants of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) made his release one of their key demands saying his health was deteriorating behind bars. His wife made several appeals in vain to the government to allow him to travel abroad for specialised kidney treatment. The fourth of nine children of a senior navy officer, Okah turned to militant action following the execution of internationally acclaimed human rights advocate Ken Saro Wiwa, then his neighbour in Lagos. His close associates said he first witnessed the squalid conditions under which villagers lived in the creeks of the Niger Delta when he was in his late teens. At the time of his arrest on September 27, 2007, Okah was living in South Africa with his wife and four children. His exact status in MEND is unclear, with many saying he was the spokesman for the movement. One of MEND commanders, known as Boyloaf, however told selfnews that Okah was the group's leader. It is unclear who supports and finances MEND, a powerful group that presents itself as the champion of Nigeria's 14 million Ijaw people. 'MEND considers this release as a step towards genuine peace and prosperity if Nigeria is open to frank talks and to deal sincerely with the root issues once and for all,' it said in its first reaction to Okah's release. MEND has recently stepped up its campaign against foreign oil giants active in the Niger Delta and claimed responsibility for an attack in Lagos itself on the day Okah was freed. 