Abuja, Aug 12: Liberia's former President Charles Taylor has arrived in the Nigerian capital Abuja to begin his life in exile, following his resignation from office earlier. Taylor, who on July 6 accepted an offer of asylum from Nigeria, arrived on board a Nigerian presidential plane yesterday hours after handing over power to his deputy, Moses Blah, at a ceremony in Monrovia. Accompanied by Mozambican President Joachim Chissano and his Ghanaian counterpart, John Kufuor, Taylor was met by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and other senior government officials. Chissano is current chairman of the African Union, while Kufuor serves as chairman of the 15-nation West African regional bloc Ecowas.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who had earlier attended Taylor's handover ceremony in Monrovia, was also expected to arrive in Abuja shortly, presidential spokeswoman Oluremi Oyo told a news agency.

Also on the same flight with Taylor were Nigeria's former military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar -- the chief negotiator in the Liberian crisis -- and Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Bureau Report