Leading Nigerian rebel agrees to disarm for amnesty

ABUJA (Reuters) - A leading Nigerian militant leader agreed on Thursday to stop fighting in the oil-producing Niger Delta and accept an unconditional pardon from President Umaru Yar'Adua.

Ateke Tom, whose 2,000 fighters carried out attacks on oil installations, was the first of three factional leaders with links to the militant group MEND to accept the amnesty offer.

"I hereby formally accept the amnesty offer and lay down my arms," Tom told Yar'Adua at a media briefing in the capital Abuja.

The president has given gunmen in the Niger Delta until Sunday to surrender their weapons in return for clemency, and has rejected requests by militants to push back the deadline to allow time for peace talks.

The offer was one of the most serious attempts yet to stem unrest which has prevented Nigeria from pumping much above two thirds of its oil capacity, costing it billions of dollars a year in lost revenue.

"I'm calling on others who have not yet embraced the amnesty offer to do so within the remaining three days so that we can both work together to ensure peace and security in the region," Yar'Adua said.

STEP ASIDE PLEASE

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said militant leader Farah Dagogo would follow Tom's example and disarm within days.

"MEND has encouraged known commanders and affiliates to step aside and move on due to safety concerns for their families," the group's spokesman told Reuters in an e-mailed statement.

If Dagogo accepts the amnesty, Government Tompolo will be the only known factional leader with links to MEND who has not surrendered.

MEND, responsible for attacks that have wreaked havoc on Africa's biggest energy industry for the last three years, named a team of mediators on Tuesday to negotiate with the government on disarmament but said the amnesty process "lacked integrity."

It said talks with the government would not be held until after the October 4 amnesty deadline.

Activists say that even if top rebel commanders surrender, there is little to prevent their "boys" from finding new leaders and resuming their attacks.

"Even if all the known militants give up, it won't bring lasting peace unless the issues of developing the Niger Delta are addressed," said Jonjon Oyeinfe, former head of the Ijaw Youth Council ethnic rights group, who has been involved in peace efforts for years.

Presidential adviser Timi Alaibe told Reuters last month that 6,000 gunmen had signed up for the amnesty.

Under the programme, the government promises to provide ex-militants with a stipend, education and job training.

But hundreds have yet to receive any money and the government's rehabilitation and reintegration programmes have yet to be fully launched.