Nigerian militants denied Saturday a plan to release one of the remaining foreign oil workers they seized one month ago to celebrate the redeployment of the commander of the task force protecting the oil-rich Niger Delta from military attacks.

The ethnic Ijaw militants belonging to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) described as "untrue" the announcement by the Ijaw Youth Council that one hostage will be freed before Saturday to welcome last week's redeployment of Brigadier General Elias Zamani.

MEND has cited the bombarding of Ijaw communities last month by the task force as one of the reasons for its attacks and abductions.

The Punch newspaper has quoted some officers and men of the task force as considering the redeployment as an indication that the government was yielding to the demands of the militants, although the government said it was "routine."

"No one will be released. If there is to be a release, they will leave at the same time," the self-styled MEND said in an email to Xinhua. The Ijaw Youth Council "may be trying top score a political point and does not in any way speak for us," it said.

MEND called President Olusegun Obasanjo, who on Friday expressed his resolve not to use force to release the hostages even if this portrays his government as week, "a liar."

"His hands are tied and he is beginning to understand this. The Nigerian army is neither trained nor equipped for this kind of warfare and he obviously does not want the army to be further shamed," it sneered.

"We will continue with our attacks. Perhaps then he won't be able to hide any longer under the pretext of being a peace lover."

The militants seized nine foreign oil workers from a vessel laying a pipeline for Royal Dutch Shell on February 18 in retaliation for military bombardment of their strongholds on the ground of rooting out oil thieves. Six of the hostages, however, were later freed.

The militants are insisting on the demilitarization of the delta as a condition for the release of the three remaining. They also vowed not to compromise on its demands for the release of two ethnic Ijaw leaders, payment of 1.5-billion-U.S. dollar compensation to Ijaw communities affected by Shell spillages.

On Wednesday, the group also threatened to launch their long- delayed attacks on oil facilities that had cut daily oil output in Africa's largest crude exporter by 556,000 barrels, or a quarter.

The Niger Delta produces most of the country's oil. The government and oil companies, however, have been in a long- standing dispute with 20-million-strong impoverished locals, who accuse them of failing to develop their region.

Source: Xinhua