Nigerian Opposition Leader Charged With Treason

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST, JULY 6 -- A federal high court appointed by Nigeria's military regime charged millionaire Moshood Abiola with treason today for declaring himself president of that West African nation almost a month ago.

Abiola, whom authorities have held incommunicado for two weeks, pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge that could bring a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

A political crisis has gripped Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, since its military rulers annulled a presidential election in June last year that Abiola, a publishing and shipping magnate, was reported to have won. Police have arrested scores of democracy supporters in recent months. Authorities detained Abiola after he declared himself president on the eve of the election anniversary.

"We don't think that in any way his trial will solve the problem," said Osaze Lanre Ehonwa of the Civil Liberties Organization, a human rights group, in a telephone interview. "He is not the person who has broken the law of the land. There is no way that someone who came in by a coup could put on trial someone who won an election democratically."

The government of Gen. Sani Abacha, who seized power from a military-appointed interim administration last fall, created the special court and chose its own attorney to prosecute Abiola.

Meanwhile, one of Nigeria's oil workers' unions today threatened to strike beginning next week unless the military stepped aside for Abiola. Such a move could disrupt the production and export of oil for Africa's largest oil producer. The United States is its biggest customer.

A work stoppage by another of Nigeria's oil workers' unions entered its third day today, and authorities arrested the union's general secretary.

Long fuel lines snaked through Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, but transportation was still available, Ehonwa said. Fuel smuggling, a lucrative business in Nigeria, has offset some of the fuel shortage, he said.

"The strike surely has added more tension to the situation," said Ehonwa. "But I do not personally think that we're going to have a mass revolt triggered by this strike in the next few days. It's going to take a lot more political work to achieve that."

Other small protests, mainly by market women and university students, have been confined to the southwest. Abiola, who is from that region, lost much of his popular support in other areas after failing to quickly confront the military regime last year.