The fear of arrest by the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi if he decides to turn in his arms and accept the Federal Government’s amnesty may have contributed to Ateke Tom’s delay in accepting to surrender his weapons and embrace the deal, Sunday Independent has learnt.
Besides, sources said on Friday that Ateke’s conditions to the Federal Government before his acceptance of the amnesty is yet to be met.
It was learnt that Ateke had reported Amaechi’s alleged hatred and the fear of attack to the Federal Government when a presidential team visited him in the creeks last week.
Amaechi had in the past spoken harshly against Ateke because of his militant activities, insisting
that Ateke and the other militants could not go unpunished, having killed other people and caused severe damage to many homes in the course of their criminal activities.
Last week, at an interactive session with journalists, Amaechi was asked why it was becoming difficult for him to forgive Ateke and take him to Abuja as a show of his support for him to accept the amnesty offer, as was done by his Bayelsa counterpart.
His initial response was that if Ateke wanted to accept amnesty, he could do so without him, adding that there was no meeting where Ateke and himself were meant to reconcile.
He added that Ateke should be told that he has nothing against him but with a quick proviso that “there is an expiry date for the amnesty offer and anybody who is still in the creeks with guns should be ready for the outcome.”
Sources told Sunday Independent that efforts by some well-meaning people of the state, including Amaechi’s bosom friend, Tonye Princewill to pacify the governor to forgive Ateke has not yielded any results.
The Federal Government team that visited Ateke in the creeks, even made efforts to meet Amaechi last week to reconcile him and Ateke, but the governor was in Calabar for a retreat. His deputy who received them could not do much.
Although there are speculations that Ateke might surrender his guns before October 4 when the amnesty offer is expected to expire, there are fears that Amaechi was not willing to be involved in the talks between Ateke and the Federal Government.
Ateke’s lawyer, Uche Onyeagucha would only confirm to Sunday Independent that the talks between Ateke and the Federal Government are on-going. He would not give details on the conditions which the Federal Government must fulfill before his client surrenders.
He also confirmed that Amaechi was not involved in the negotiations. When asked whether money was part of the conditions from Ateke, Onyegocha’s answer was in the negative.
But he was confident that Ateke might leave the creeks before the expiration of the deadline ” by God’s grace.”
On Thursday night, Cynthia Whyte, the spokesperson of the Joint Revolutionary Council, a unit of the Movement for Emancipation Niger Delta (MEND) had given the indication that Amaechi was not supportive of the amnesty agenda, and was not listening to entreaties for reconciliation with Ateke.
Whyte had said: “Unlike their lucky friends in Bayelsa state who have a ready-to-assist governor, the governor of Rivers State has his issues and we have been working through intermediaries to get the governor to soft-pedal and ensure soft landing for those who truly seek to give up their arms.
“We must commend the efforts of people like Prince Tonye Princewill who has been working round the clock to quicken the resolve to get governor Amaechi to soft-pedal on those who seek to give up arms and seek the peace.
Meanwhile, two Kano based elder statesmen, both former senators- Isa Katchako and Jubril El-Doguwa- have expressed different sentiments about the demand by Niger Delta militants for an extension of the amnesty deal by the Federal Government.
The two politicians who spoke in separate interviews with Sunday Independent, however advised the government to be firm in implementing the amnesty deal with the militants. Katchako said that if the Federal Government begins to concede to demands from the militants, they would continue to make more demands.
The retired Army Colonel said specifically that his worry is that based on his military experience, the militants will not stop giving conditions to the Federal Government for embracing the amnesty deal.
” It is obviously part of their strategy and plot to buy time and adequately arm themselves for the confrontation that may follow their failure to lay down their arms.
“The Government must not accept any other condition from the militant groups, who must surrender their arms before the expiration of the October deadline, failure of which the Federal Government should deploy arsenals and deal with the situation decisively,” he said.
He however drew the attention of the leaders in the region, including the State governors, National Assembly members, State legislators, Local Government Chairmen and other political office holders to the fact that they would share in the blame in the event that the situation in the Niger Delta deteriorates with bitter arms confrontation with the government troops.
He pointed out that the activities of the armed young men are backed by politicians and other dubious characters, who are beneficiaries of the conflict.
Katchako said: “They should not allow their area to be used as a theatre of war, the 1966 Nigeria/Biafra confrontation, which was primarily fought to keep the nation intact should be a big lesson to all and we should avoid a replay of this ugly event.
“Unity is paramount and that was what the military did at that time to save the nation, so such ugly events could still be avoided in the Niger Delta. The leaders still have a role to play, knowing that the militants have nothing to lose, because they have spent their whole life living in the creeks.”
But Senator El-Doguwa holds a different view as he sees nothing wrong in the militant leaders asking for extension of the amnesty deal if the idea is backed by sincerity.
His said: “There is nothing wrong with that but what I think the government should do is to access the situation to determine the sincerity or otherwise of the request. It may not be three months, it may be more than three months so that there will be no further excuse.”
Senator El-Doguwa, a PDP chieftain and one time chairman of the party in Kano said it is also important for government to access the situation in the Niger Delta so as to determine the success for the amnesty deal in relation to the theft of oil and pipe line vandalism.