Al-Haji Mujahid Dokubo Asari, the leader of a motley collection of gunmen styling themselves the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, managed to push the world oil price above US$50 (HK$390) a barrel last year. His homeland in the verdant delta region of southern Nigeria holds the largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa, and Asari aims to seize this wealth for his Ijaw tribe.

His gunmen rocked the international oil market last September by launching attacks across the delta, costing hundreds of lives and threatening some of the world's largest companies.

``We seek self-determination and control of our natural resources by any means necessary, and the only means is by armed struggle and confrontation,'' Asari said.

``Our struggle is like those in Chechnya, Kosovo, Palestine and South Africa. That is how we are going to fight. We are not going to just sit down. We are capable of defending ourselves.''

Asari, 40, who shuns military fatigues and sports a trilby and a silver-topped cane, is an unabashed admirer of bin Laden. Songs praising his ``gallantry'' echo from a stereo in his spacious home in Port Harcourt, the delta's largest city.

Asari's last round of bloodletting won him direct talks with President Olusegun Obasanjo and forced Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil giant, to evacuate 254 staff from the delta.

During earlier fighting, in March 2003, a collection of militias briefly halted almost 40 per cent of Nigeria's daily output of 2.3 million barrels. They deprived Shell of 320,000 barrels per day - more than any other foreign company. Obasanjo had to deploy the army and navy to restore order.

Asari accused Shell and the other oil companies of sustaining Nigeria's ``arrogant'' government. ``They are aiding evil and they must withdraw honourably,'' he said.

``If not, they will be forced to pull out. We will confront them with any means available to us.''

Asari wants an independent Ijaw state and claims two million followers. But he probably has only a few hundred gunmen, their weapons bought with the proceeds of oil smuggling, and government officials dismiss the idea that he poses a major threat.

Much of the rebels' resentment focuses on Shell simply because it is the largest foreign company in the delta and its installations, including 612 kilometers of pipeline, are found throughout the area.

Asari is exploiting genuine popular anger. Mired in corruption and misrule, the delta's people have seen little benefit from their natural wealth. Oil companies stand accused of damaging the environment and willfully neglecting their host communities.

``We are not satisfied with what they are doing to clean-up oil spillages,'' said Roseline Konya, the environmental commissioner for Rivers State, with four million of the delta's people.

``We have suffered since oil was found in the delta. We are paying a high price. Instead of oil being a benefit, it has become a problem.''

Simon Buerk, a spokesman for Shell, said 97 per cent of spills are caused by oil smugglers tampering with pipelines. He said 96 per cent of the revenue goes to the government.