Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufi has announced his decision to grant asylum to slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi.
Issoufi said that Saadi, a bisexual playboy, was granted asylum on 'humanitarian grounds,' adding that it was unlikely he would ever be extradited back to his home country.
"We have agreed on agreed on granting asylum on Saadi Gaddafi for humanitarian reasons," the Telegraph quoted Issoufi, as saying.
Issoufi also said that Saadi, three generals and three other Libyans who accompanied him across the border last week were being treated as refugees.
"We have clearly indicated that they should not engage in political or subversive activities. We have welcomed Saadi with the same conditions as the refugees from Libya," he added.
According to the report, he said there was no firm indication that Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's heir and the most wanted of his surviving family, had also fled to Niger.
Issoufou refused to guarantee he would be turned over to the International Criminal Court, to which Niger is a signatory, if he did arrive in the country.
"Saif al-Islam is not in Niger so I will reply when and if the issue arises," the paper quoted him, as saying.
"Niger is a state of law, it is also a democratic state; we will deal with all of those issues in the sense of the role we have, the democracy we have, in accordance with international agreements," he said.
