The Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Sunday said that his administration would not enter into dialogue with armed groups.
Amaechi, who spoke through his Director of Press Affairs, Mr. Ogbonna Nwuke, told our correspondent that unless the gunmen surrendered their arms, government would not dialogue with them.
The governor was reacting to threats by the leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Movement, Mr. Ateke Tom, that he would not surrender arms to law enforcement agencies.
He said that though his administration was desirous of restoring peace and order, he would resist threats by armed groups who hide under the Niger Delta struggle to commit crime.
Amaechi deplored the threats by the NDVM leader to �export� violence to other parts of the country under the guise of Niger Delta struggle.
He said that such position exposed Tom�s intention not to live within the confines of civility and the rule of law.
Amaechi said, �All those who have access to weapons of mass destruction and whose activities threaten the security of life and property of our people must surrender them.
�This administration is not the continuation of any previous regime. We have insisted that people should hold us accountable for whatever the administration does, including the fact that amnesty will be granted to those who lay down dangerous weapons in their possession.
�We are amazed that Ateke Tom, rather than follow the worthy example that Asari Dokubo had set, chose to turn dialectics on its head by claiming that if he surrendered his weapons, he would be arrested.
�But the question is, now that Asari is not carrying weapons and is reportedly residing in Abuja, has anyone, including members of this administration, arrested him?�
Amaechi said that despite his touted claims for peace, Tom through his actions and utterances, did not genuinely seek peace.
Tom had at a press conference in his hideout said that until the Rivers State and federal governments addressed the grievances of Ijaw people and the Niger Delta question, there would be no peace in the region.
He was quoted to have said, �The Ijaw struggle for emancipation and good standard of living has been commercialised but genuine leaders of the struggle, like Okah, cannot be caged and the rest of us stay dumb.�
He, however, warned, �If we are not satisfied with the outcome of the negotiation, then Nigerians should not blame me.�
Asked whether he would disarm as being requested by the Rivers State Government, he had said, �How can I disarm when there is no sign from the government of a sincere peace process. I can only disarm when I see the signs.
�Dokubo-Asari and I have once been fooled like that when they (government) asked us to disarm and before we realised it, Asari had been arrested and taken to Abuja where he was detained for some years.�
He had also vowed to hit some locations outside the region if the Federal Government continued to suppress the genuine struggle of Ijaw and Niger Delta people for the development of the region.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission on Friday said it would engage 14,000 ad hoc staff for the conduct of the March 29 local government election.
The ad hoc staff are expected to man 4,441 polling centres.
The Commissioner in charge of administration and training in the commission, Mrs. Florence Amiesimaka, said this in Port Harcourt at the opening of a two-day training workshop for trainers.
Amiesimaka said that 2,000 trainers would be trained, and they would also train the ad hoc staff.