‘Ateke Tom not harbouring embattled ex-militant’.

YOUTH leaders in the Niger Delta region have described as untrue allegations that a former militant leader in the region, Chief Ateke Tom, is harbouring a former ex-militant, Solomon Ndigbara, and has refused to release him (Ndigbara) to security agencies.

Security operatives had raided Ndigbara’s home in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State over an allegation that he was keeping arms and ammunition in his residence.

But the youth leaders, who spoke under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Indigenous Communities Youth Leaders, described as spurious the allegation that Tom had harboured Ndigbara and another ex-agitator in the region, Tomiko.

The spokesperson for the group, Mr. Agility Namapele, in a statement in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, also dismissed the claim in some quarters that Tom was operating a militant camp.

He added that the ex-leader of the defunct Niger Delta Vigilante stopped operating camps after embracing the Federal Government’s Amnesty programme.

The group stated, “The spurious and baseless narrative among others falsely alleged that High Chief Ateke Tom harbours both Tomiko and Solomon Ndigbara in his camps and has vowed never to release them.

“As much as comradeship demands protection from men of common cause, we have it on an impeccable authority that there is no iota of truth in these allegations. Comrade Ateke Tom does not have camp and did not harbour any of the listed persons.”

Namapele argued that the allegation against Tom was a political strategy to decimate the influence of freedom fighters in the Niger Delta region.

He warned that leaders in the Niger Delta would not fold their arms and watch the militarisation of their communities as a basis to gain access to the resources in the place.

Describing the allegations against the ex-militant leader as uncalled for, Namapele urged the Federal Government to realise that the declaration of amnesty in Niger Delta was to curb the instigation of strife in the region.

He said, “We notify the Federal Government that we are not oblivious of this strategy against our peaceful people and our communities. We also do know that given the desperation to conquer the region, no effort will be spared in seeking to compromise our leaders even if arms have to be planted in their places to claim that they still bear arms.”