Originally published 21.01.08
WARLORD and leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante, Ateke Tom, made an unexpected confession on Sunday: he is tired of fighting and �killing people.� He also said he was ready to lay down his arms.
The Rivers State Government in a swift reaction said: �It is a welcome development but he should go the extra mile of laying down his weapons of mass destruction because it is the only way of finding a lasting solution to the Niger Delta crisis.�
In a telephone interview with Vanguard, Tom asked the state government to hasten up the peace process �because my boys and I cannot continue to stay in the swamp permanently after we have been dislodged from our homes.�
The interview:
Vanguard: You said you are tired of fighting, so what do you want the government to do, so that you can come out of the bush?
Ateke: Let them speak to our leaders immediately because we have decided to stop shooting and killing. We have listened to our Ijaw leaders like (Chief) E. K. Clark, Alabo Graham-Douglas and others. We will no longer shoot again, everything has stopped.
I want the government and the elders to take a decision and act quickly because the boys and I are tired of staying in the swamps. We are not bush animals or fish in the swamp. We are human beings, so we want to come out.
Vanguard: What specifically do you want the government to do?
Ateke: Look, they know what to do about the peace process and I want them to hurry up, and how long shall we remain outside and in the cold. But that we have ceased fire does not mean that we are afraid of anybody.
Our fathers have spoken to us, that�s why we have cooled down for peace and they should make peace work now.
Vanguard: Do you want the government to invite you to a conference table or something?
Ateke: I have no time for them (government), they should talk to our fathers, not us. This is a Niger Delta issue not a personal thing. So they should go and negotiate with our fathers and I know they (Ijaw leaders) would know how to go about it. I am telling you that we are suffering here in the creeks. That is why we are saying that they should hasten up over this matter.
Vanguard: Let us get this promise and assurance from you so that the public will judge you if you go back on your word. Are you saying that there will be no more killings and shooting in Port Harcourt and elsewhere?
Ateke: I am giving everyone my word. I don�t even have the time to think about shooting let alone killing anybody. But let me warn that we are not afraid of JTF, so, nobody should say that it is because I am afraid of JTF.
Vanguard: But you have to surrender your arms before anyone would believe you.
Ateke: There must be concrete plans on ground assuring me and my boys of safety and amnesty before I lay down my arms. That was how they deceived me and (Dokubo) Asari the other day, after that Asari was arrested. We will surrender at the appropriate time.”