Ateke Tom is a former militant leader
in the Niger Delta..In an interview with
Punch , he opened up on why they were
different from Boko Hram and should
not be labelled terrorists.
How is life as a repentant militant?
Life here is better than the life I
once lived in the creeks because I
now enjoy free movement and I see
my family. I do businesses and I’m
free to embark on other gainful
ventures outside the creeks. In the
creeks, we didn’t use to drive cars,
but outside the creeks where we
are now leading a normal life, we
drive our cars and do other things
that will benefit us and the society
at large. So, we are comfortable
outside the creeks.
What was life like in the creeks?
It was tough there. We were bitten
by mosquitoes, but the difference
then was that we were not deterred
from continuing with the struggle.
Our mind was constantly on the
fight to liberate the Niger Delta
region from marginalisation.
Many are casting aspersions on the ex-
militants for accusing Boko Haram of acts
of terrorism while they (Niger Delta
militants) were also guilty of the same act
It is wrong to describe the struggle
we embarked on then as an act of
terrorism. We were not terrorists;
we were freedom fighters because
we had a reason why we were
fighting. You can remember that
when amnesty came from the
Federal Government, we embraced
it. Everybody was aware of the
reason behind the struggle. The
international community and other
relevant bodies were aware of the
reason for our struggle.
What was the reason for the fight?
We were fighting for our rights. We
have the oil; we have the resources
being used to feed Nigeria. But
they did not want to give us
anything and that explained why
we were fighting. They refused to
employ our people; instead, they
(government) brought in foreigners
to work in oil companies while we
were suffering. That was why we
determined we would fight our
cause and make the authorities
realise that we were not happy with
the situation of things. We needed
employment; we needed to work.
We needed good hospitals, good
roads and other social amenities,
but there were none. We had to
embark on the struggle to make
them realise that we were being
marginalised.
Everybody knew that we were
fighting for our rights. The Federal
Government called us and asked us
why we were fighting. When the
late President Musa Yar’Adua called
us, we came out to tell him and
Nigerians why we were fighting
and they reasoned with us and
asked us to cease fight. We
accepted and embraced amnesty.
But in the case of Boko Haram, why
have they refused to come out?
What are they fighting for? Who
are they fighting for? They (Boko
Haram) members should come out
and tell Nigerians why they are
fighting. So, it is not right to
compare us with Boko Haram.
What is stopping them (Boko
Haram) from telling Nigerians the
reasons they are fighting? President
Goodluck has called on them
several times to come out and tell
Nigerians their grievances, but they
have refused to do so. So, we are
not similar to them.
