Military leaders who toppled President Joseph Momoh ordered officials of his ousted government to surrender or face "serious consequences," state radio reported Saturday.

The ruling council also urged rebels to end their border war and began forming a new government following an apparent shakeup in the coup leadership.The 22-member ruling council detained its leader, Lt. Col. Yayah Kanu, and replaced him with the junta's No. 2 commander, Capt. Valentine Strasser, said sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sources said Kanu angered colleagues when he told a reporter that he would not work with opposition politicians because most had once been members of Momoh's party.

The council announced Saturday that it had named Col. Joseph Gottor as the army's chief of staff, replacing former commander Maj. Gen. Mohamed Sheku Tarawali. Tarawali was in Britain when the rebels overthrew Momoh.

View Comments

Gottor was a leading figure in fighting the rebels.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.