By Austin Ekeinde
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - A Nigerian militant leader will consider participating in a federal amnesty programme if the military halts its offensive and withdraws its troops from the Niger Delta, one of his lawyers said on Tuesday.
President Umaru Yar'Adua is expected to unveil an amnesty programme by the end of the week, considered a key step to bringing stability to Africa's biggest oil and gas industry.
Ateke Tom, who in the past had links to Nigeria's main rebel group, is the first high-profile militant to express a willingness to lay down his arms since the military launched its biggest offensive against Niger Delta gunmen in years last month.
"We are not weak or tired of fighting and will not surrender until the issues of unconditional and general amnesty for all the militants, development of the Niger Delta, and troops' withdrawal from the region are addressed," said Tom's lawyer Ikenna Enekweizu, who said he was speaking on behalf of the militant leader after meeting with him this week.
Telephone calls directly to Tom's militant group, Niger Delta Vigilante, were not returned. Two sources close to the group confirmed that Enekweizu was one of Tom's spokesmen.
INDEPENDENT MILITANT
Enekweizu said Tom, whose group claimed at least two attacks against the oil sector last year, was not currently a member of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and could not speak for them.
MEND, which has declared an "all-out war" against the military, said it would consider only a "well-defined" amnesty negotiated by both sides. It has repeatedly dismissed the government's programme, saying it played no role in drafting it.
Yar'Adua has said the amnesty programme will be open to all gunmen, but has provided few details on how it will work. There was no immediate comment from the military on Tom's offer.
Enekweizu said most militants wanted a peaceful solution after three years of fighting, but the military must first withdraw its troops from the region.
"Many innocent people, civilians who are not involved in this fight between us and the soldiers, have been unfortunately caught in the crossfire and are dead," he said.
"This is giving all the militants serious concern."
Violent crime has surged in the Niger Delta since militants, who say they are fighting for a fairer share of the region's natural resources, launched a campaign of sabotage against the oil industry in 2006.
Criminal gangs have taken advantage of the breakdown in law and order, carrying out kidnappings for ransom, armed robberies and vehicle hijackings, which have left the region's residents living in a state of permanent insecurity. (Writing by Randy Fabi; Editing by Tume Ahemba and Giles Elgood)
