Narration:

For the past few years, a battle has raged at the mouth of the Niger River pitting local militants against government forces and multi-national oil companies.

When I first arrived here, I had just a basic understanding of the nature of the conflict. Nigeria is the fifth largest supplier of oil to the United States. It is the 8^th largest exporter of oil on the planet, but in the Niger Delta, the region that produces hundreds of millions of dollars in oil and gas each year, the average person lives on less than one dollar per day. There are no good schools, no good roads, no good hospitals. Every year, over three hundred oil spills contaminate the region, and constant flaring of precious natural gas pollutes the ecosystem. While oil companies and corrupt politicians reap enormous profits, the inhabitants of the Niger Delta live in poverty.

Under these circumstances, it was no surprise to me that a conflict had ignited in which militants blow up pipelines, sabotage flow-stations, and kidnap foreign oil-workers. The truth is, I always tend to root for the underdog, and I felt an attraction to these men who were taking on the world's largest oil corporations and the corrupt government of Africa's most populous nation. So I took my camera to Nigeria to try to meet them.

Dialogue:

00:04:00:18, 00:04:03:20, We are telling all expatriates to leave Nigeria, not only the Niger Delta.

00:04:03:22, 00:04:08:24, Leave Nigeria. We will take lives. We will destroy lives.

00:04:09:06, 00:04:13:11, We will crumble the economy, mercilessly.

Title:

00:04:13:24, 00:04:19:05, Camp "Angola 2" Niger Delta Patriotic Force

Dialogue:

00:04:36:18, 00:04:37:20, Who goes there?

00:04:38:12, 00:04:40:01, Take up yourselves.

00:04:40:24, 00:04:43:16, Keep everywhere easy.

00:04:44:12, 00:04:46:04, Take up your weapon.

00:04:47:09, 00:04:50:02, Every soldier according to his wing.

00:05:11:12, 00:05:12:02, Halt!

00:05:14:20, 00:05:17:02, Who goes there in this, our Delta region?

00:05:17:08, 00:05:18:05, White man?

00:05:19:18, 00:05:21:23, You come with our chief of staff?

00:05:22:24, 00:05:23:09, Yes sir.

00:05:24:18, 00:05:26:06, Our chief of staff is your brother?

00:05:27:02, 00:05:27:14, Yes sir.

00:05:27:19, 00:05:29:11, You white man, brother to black man?

00:05:29:20, 00:05:30:10, Yes sir.

00:05:32:09, 00:05:33:22, You come here for the Niger Delta?

00:05:34:06, 00:05:34:17, Yes sir.

00:05:34:22, 00:05:36:06, You're brother to Niger Delta?

00:05:36:12, 00:05:37:02, Yes sir.

00:05:37:12, 00:05:38:02, Feel free.

00:05:38:17, 00:05:39:05, Thank you.

00:05:40:12, 00:05:42:14, Say only what you see.

00:05:46:00, 00:05:49:00, Don't add or subtract.

Narration:

I decided to follow the camp commander's advice. Traveling with some fishermen, I set out to see for myself what life is like in the Niger Delta, in hopes of understanding the conditions out of which the militancy was born.

Dialogue:

00:06:32:04, 00:06:36:07, My brother, such life is sweet. It's just that there is no money.

00:06:37:08, 00:06:41:03, For one to live and manage|a good life is not easy.

Narration:

I had to avoid detection by the authorities. Numerous foreign journalists and documentary filmmakers had already been expelled from the country.

Government forces patrol the creeks in gunboats, on a mission to combat the militants and protect the oil from illegal theft. But many in the Niger Delta feel it is the oil companies and the federal government who are robbing the region of its oil.

Title:

00:07:16:17, 00:07:21:10, Shell Oil LNG Bonny Island

Narration:

We pass by Bonny Island where multi-national oil companies like Shell, Mobil, and Agip tap into the 36 billion barrels of oil beneath our feet... and I find myself in Ijawkiri... a tiny fishing village that is frequently visited by the Okoloma Ikpangi... militants from a nearby camp.

Dialogue:

00:07:31:14, 00:07:33:21, Everybody was supporting them

00:07:34:24, 00:07:37:24, that maybe they want to fight so that the government will help us.

00:07:38:22, 00:07:40:11, We are poor people suffering.

00:07:41:03, 00:07:43:20, All that we do is fishing to feed ourselves.

00:07:44:16, 00:07:48:14, If they are fighting government, we have no problem.

00:07:49:05, 00:07:51:14, If they are fighting companies to get help from them,

00:07:51:16, 00:07:53:00, we have no problem.

00:07:53:24, 00:07:56:18, The government we have...|they're not doing anything.

00:07:56:21, 00:07:59:22, Nothing they are doing... nothing.

00:08:03:14, 00:08:04:22, Daddy, give me one dried coconut.

00:08:06:00, 00:08:06:19, That's how it is.

00:08:09:00, 00:08:11:06, Do you think they are no longer here?

00:08:15:05, 00:08:16:06, I beg, oh.

00:08:20:23, 00:08:22:16, The strong boys.

00:08:24:16, 00:08:27:05, Why can't they find somewhere else to stay?

00:08:27:19, 00:08:28:24, Fire on.

00:08:29:18, 00:08:30:24, What are they doing?

00:08:35:11, 00:08:37:03, It looks like they've carried some people in their speedboat.

00:08:38:23, 00:08:39:19, They've entered.

00:08:42:13, 00:08:43:19, They fired a whole magazine.

00:08:44:02, 00:08:46:06, It will be bad for them if they run out of bullets.

00:08:47:01, 00:08:47:24, What a world?

00:08:48:05, 00:08:51:23, Is this an urban life or a rural life?

00:08:53:07, 00:08:54:04, It's a man child?

00:08:54:08, 00:08:55:11, Are they dragging the other speed boat along?

00:08:55:15, 00:08:56:23, Everybody is replying.

00:08:57:02, 00:08:59:16, They are signaling each other with the gun.

Narration:

Even in the midst of the conflict zone, ordinary life takes its course... and a 23-year old named Mama goes into labor.

Title:

00:09:15:20, 00:09:20:13, Mama

Dialogue:

00:09:24:06, 00:09:25:19, OK, Mama has come.

00:09:28:09, 00:09:31:00, When you're done eating, please check her stomach.

00:09:31:10, 00:09:32:00, Whose?

00:09:32:08, 00:09:33:02, Mama's.

Narration:

When she is slow to deliver, her father feeds her roots and black pepper... a traditional remedy to help speed the birth.

Dialogue:

00:09:45:06, 00:09:47:16, I want to give you this root to chew.

00:09:48:15, 00:09:50:22, Take it and chew.

00:09:51:13, 00:09:52:18, Chew it. Stand up.

00:09:54:14, 00:09:59:06, This thing is not bitter. Take it with the pepper and chew it.

00:09:59:12, 00:10:03:09, Take it quickly so that I can go pull in my hooks before they get lost.

00:10:03:10, 00:10:04:16, My stomach hurts.

00:10:04:19, 00:10:08:01, If you were chewing it,|you would've finished it already.

00:10:08:12, 00:10:10:13, Let her finish and drink the pepper soup.

00:10:11:15, 00:10:14:01, All these children. Look at them. All these children.

00:10:14:10, 00:10:15:24, They delivered them in this place.

00:10:16:19, 00:10:19:16, All of them. There is no hospital here, but they deliver them here.

00:10:20:19, 00:10:22:08, It's because, it's the native way.

00:10:22:17, 00:10:26:11, People that know how to deliver. All of them they are here.

00:10:27:00, 00:10:28:14, What's the matter? Push it out.

00:10:30:10, 00:10:32:07, Push it out. It's time that you deliver the baby.

Narration:

Complications arise as Mama is set to deliver.

Dialogue:

00:10:39:09, 00:10:42:24, Lord God, let it come. We want it to come out now.

00:10:43:10, 00:10:47:02, God, you can do it. Do it now, do it, Jesus.

Narration:

As the baby emerges, the umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck, and he is not breathing.

Dialogue:

00:10:56:04, 00:10:57:11, Bring sand, I beg.

00:10:57:13, 00:10:59:02, Bring the salt that they're selling.

00:10:59:16, 00:11:00:14, It's enough

00:11:00:16, 00:11:02:09, Is it enough? Do you need sand?

00:11:03:05, 00:11:05:06, O God, don't allow her to die.

00:11:05:15, 00:11:09:06, God, do it for us, do it. Don't allow her to die.

00:11:10:06, 00:11:11:15, Take, take, take the sand.

00:11:11:21, 00:11:12:17, Bring more sand

00:11:12:21, 00:11:14:12, What has happened?

00:11:15:04, 00:11:16:17, What has happened?

00:11:17:05, 00:11:17:15, Huh?

00:11:17:19, 00:11:19:11, The baby has come.

00:11:19:14, 00:11:20:21, The baby has come.

00:11:20:24, 00:11:23:15, Take him out, take him out.

00:11:24:02, 00:11:27:11, Jehovah God, Jehovah God, Jehovah God,

00:11:27:12, 00:11:29:01, we are calling upon your name to answer.

00:11:43:03, 00:11:46:23, She'll only feel pains during the delivery. No more pain once the baby's out.

Narration:

During my time in Ijawkiri, I'd gotten a taste of the tenuous life in the creeks... the vast disparity between the region's immense natural wealth, and the inhabitants' access to basic necessities like clean drinking water or modern medical care. Methods aside, the Niger Delta cause to which the militants had laid claim seemed just.

RADIO:

Oil prices rose to a record high of $133 per barrel as fear of supply grew, after the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) blew up an oil installation belonging to the Shell Petroleum Development Company early Monday. The Rivers State governor Timi K. Amaechi has enjoined people to hand over all those known to be terrorizing the area. He regretted that the people had allowed criminals to carry out such acts as kidnapping, killing and maiming of innocent people.

But, I wanted to learn more about why some young men choose to enter the ranks of the militants, and about the leaders that draw them into the struggle. So I made my way to the camp of the notorious Ateke Tom... whose Niger Delta Patriotic Force is one of the strongest in the region.

Title:

00:13:19:15, 00:13:24:21, Camp "Angola 3"|Niger Delta Patriotic Force

Title:

00:13:26:09, 00:13:31:00, Ateke Tom

Narration:

Ateke Tom had been driven into hiding by Nigeria's Joint Task Force. He retaliated with an attack on the Presidential Hotel. Nevertheless, he and his boys are fated to hide out as fugitives in a handful of camps they maintain in the creeks awaiting a resolution to the conflict or a deal that would permit them to return.

Dialogue:

00:14:01:23, 00:14:03:02, This is my life.

00:14:03:24, 00:14:04:14, My life.

00:14:05:05, 00:14:07:06, We are the Niger Delta Freedom Fighters.

00:14:08:13, 00:14:13:18, So, we need development, schools, education, water.

00:14:13:23, 00:14:16:07, You know, the government should do something about it.

Narration:

A group of local journalists is permitted to visit Ateke's camp for a press conference.

Dialogue:

00:14:50:23, 00:14:53:11, I think it's better we arrange some boys with guns behind him.

00:14:53:17, 00:14:54:20, Some boys with guns?

00:14:55:00, 00:14:57:17, Tell them to mask their faces. - Let them mask their faces.

00:14:58:09, 00:14:59:18, Let them mask their faces.

00:15:00:17, 00:15:02:13, Tell them to arrange themselves.

00:15:03:10, 00:15:06:14, Make all the men behave themselves, oh.

00:15:07:00, 00:15:09:17, We are not joking with them. If they fuck up, I will fuck them down.

00:15:10:13, 00:15:11:13, I will deal with them.

00:15:12:14, 00:15:13:15, Why should I fear them?

00:15:15:03, 00:15:16:12, Anybody can die.

00:15:23:00, 00:15:24:06, We need development,

00:15:24:22, 00:15:26:01, resource control.

00:15:26:09, 00:15:28:18, We need school and everything - good roads.

00:15:29:02, 00:15:30:00, Just like Abuja, now.

00:15:31:20, 00:15:37:14, Everybody knows that the money they are using to develop Abuja and Lagos

00:15:37:24, 00:15:39:17, is Niger Delta people's money.

00:15:40:02, 00:15:41:00, Everybody knows that.

00:15:41:10, 00:15:45:13, So, we want them to use our money to develop our Niger Delta.

00:15:46:02, 00:15:51:22, If they refuse to do that, well maybe, I've already said it. It can happen.

00:15:51:22, 00:15:55:14, If they don't return my properties, I must fight back.

00:15:55:16, 00:15:58:13, I must fight. I will fight.

00:15:59:15, 00:16:04:22, And everybody should be aware that the state government are the ones that have a problem with me.

00:16:05:07, 00:16:06:08, I will fight them.

00:16:07:06, 00:16:09:02, So, where and when will you attack when you are fighting sir?

00:16:09:05, 00:16:09:23, I will not tell you.

00:16:11:12, 00:16:13:23, How can you have peace if you don't disarm?

00:16:14:23, 00:16:19:07, How will I disarm when the federal government are not sincere?

00:16:19:19, 00:16:21:01, I will not disarm, now.

00:16:21:14, 00:16:23:24, But when you see sincerity... - Yes, I will disarm.

00:16:24:04, 00:16:25:05, You will disarm.|- Yeah.

00:16:25:10, 00:16:29:03, The sincerity will come in what form, Sir? - You know and I know.

00:16:29:14, 00:16:31:09, Like? - The president knows.

00:16:31:12, 00:16:33:24, Not like like. Nothing like like.

00:16:34:03, 00:16:36:01, Everybody knows what is involved.

00:16:37:22, 00:16:39:08, Yeah. It's not a political issue.

00:16:52:17, 00:16:53:23, There's no bandolier.

00:16:54:02, 00:16:55:06, Yes, it's here.

00:16:59:02, 00:17:00:12, Andy. -Yeah.

00:17:00:17, 00:17:02:08, Ask me a question.

00:17:03:01, 00:17:03:24, Where are you from?

00:17:05:23, 00:17:06:20, Rivers State.

00:17:10:00, 00:17:10:23, How old are you?

00:17:12:15, 00:17:14:02, I'm twenty-eight.

00:17:16:03, 00:17:18:10, So, how long have you been here in the camp?

00:17:19:03, 00:17:20:10, More than four years.

00:17:25:06, 00:17:26:16, And how long will you stay?

00:17:27:12, 00:17:30:12, I don't know, till government calls the peace.

00:17:32:16, 00:17:35:10, Till government gives us what belongs to us - our rights.

00:17:36:16, 00:17:38:22, I'm an electrical engineer, so

00:17:38:24, 00:17:42:22, if my country can get me a job, I will leave this.

00:17:51:18, 00:17:53:07, Go insert it in that gun.

00:17:53:20, 00:17:55:22, Sometimes it is good.

00:17:57:00, 00:17:58:14, Sometimes it is bad.

00:17:58:17, 00:18:00:12, You don't know how to insert the magazine.

00:18:00:22, 00:18:02:10, Why can't I do it?

00:18:06:14, 00:18:10:07, We are facing a lot of problems in the Niger Delta.

00:18:11:00, 00:18:12:16, Because there's no water to drink.

00:18:13:20, 00:18:15:08, No good school.

00:18:16:16, 00:18:18:10, No development.

00:18:18:16, 00:18:20:09, We live inside the forest.

00:18:23:04, 00:18:25:17, And somebody like Tom Ateke

00:18:26:21, 00:18:29:04, he's a human rights activist.

00:18:30:18, 00:18:32:07, He's a freedom fighter.

00:18:37:11, 00:18:39:08, Godfather has many names.

00:18:39:17, 00:18:41:02, People used to call him Ateke.

00:18:42:01, 00:18:44:01, Some people know him as Osama.

00:18:44:16, 00:18:48:09, Some people know him as Niger Delta Pope.

00:18:49:17, 00:18:53:06, While some enemies used to call him enemy, too.

00:18:55:20, 00:19:01:11, When father talks, this man, I fear this man. When he says you go this way, go.

00:19:01:14, 00:19:03:15, When he says don't go here, don't go.

00:19:05:02, 00:19:09:14, When he says don't go there and you go, that place will be dangerous for you.

00:19:11:04, 00:19:13:08, He's the man that takes care of the Niger Delta.

00:19:14:18, 00:19:17:10, He's a man that takes care of his boys.

Title:

00:19:17:20, 00:19:22:00, Chima

Narration:

When I first met Chima, he resided mostly on the outskirts of the camp. More at home among the militants than with his true family, he believes he found a father in Ateke where his own father fell short.

Dialogue:

00:19:35:01, 00:19:38:02, The area is comfortable. I mean, nice

00:19:38:15, 00:19:40:06, and so sweet.

00:19:41:02, 00:19:44:20, Are you getting me? The area is so nice. So cool.

00:19:45:10, 00:19:47:00, This is what they call Ngala.

00:19:48:11, 00:19:50:04, All this is the bush.

00:19:57:07, 00:20:02:03, And this is what they call... Do you see it? This is what they call Nkoro. Odeshi.

00:20:03:09, 00:20:09:00, With this, we fear nobody. With this, we'll kill evil presidents.

00:20:09:08, 00:20:11:17, We scare them. This is what they call it.

00:20:20:05, 00:20:23:05, What made me enter this quarrel, what made me enter this game,

00:20:23:09, 00:20:24:04, is my father.

00:20:25:10, 00:20:27:14, My father did not take care of our family well.

00:20:28:18, 00:20:30:08, He left everything.

00:20:32:16, 00:20:34:23, No call, no communication,

00:20:35:07, 00:20:36:10, no message.

00:20:36:13, 00:20:40:20, It's a long story that, any time I think about it, I will cry bitterly.

00:20:43:00, 00:20:47:02, If my mother knew I was in this game, she would be annoyed with me,

00:20:47:08, 00:20:48:09, but she doesn't know.

00:20:48:21, 00:20:51:06, I'm just hiding everything from her.

00:20:54:09, 00:20:55:13, I'm from Imo State.

00:20:57:18, 00:20:59:18, They call my village Arondizuogu.

Title:

00:21:00:00, 00:21:04:00, Arondizuogu 200 Miles from Angola 3

Dialogue:

00:21:06:21, 00:21:08:18, Mommy, where do we enter?

00:21:11:11, 00:21:14:07, Here? - Yeah, there. Inside there.

00:21:15:11, 00:21:16:09, Here.

00:21:16:18, 00:21:18:00, Yeah, from there.

00:21:20:13, 00:21:21:10, Take it easy.

00:21:28:13, 00:21:29:16, I'm Chima's mother.

00:21:29:18, 00:21:31:18, It's just that I didn't give birth to him.

00:21:31:20, 00:21:32:24, But he's my child.

00:21:33:20, 00:21:38:04, He was a kid when I adopted him. I trained him.

00:21:40:00, 00:21:43:22, I have six children -|three boys, three girls.

00:21:45:07, 00:21:49:18, Chima is a good kid. He's hard-working.

00:21:52:10, 00:21:56:08, Since two years, he hasn't come back.

00:21:56:17, 00:21:58:02, I want to see him.

00:22:00:16, 00:22:02:16, He was living here until he finished his primary school.

00:22:03:13, 00:22:06:18, He went to Port Harcourt to look for his father.

00:22:07:03, 00:22:11:05, And later he left. When I saw him last.

00:22:11:08, 00:22:12:22, I was in the hospital, and he came.

00:22:13:00, 00:22:14:22, That was when Amaka was operated on for appendicitis.

00:22:15:07, 00:22:18:13, I really want to see Chimankpa again.

00:22:18:14, 00:22:22:21, Last year, after my operation was the last time I saw him.

00:22:24:04, 00:22:27:02, I would like Chima to come back so I will see him.

00:22:28:21, 00:22:31:16, I work on my farm.

00:22:34:04, 00:22:39:21, If you go there, tell my son Chima that his mother is working on the farm.

00:22:41:13, 00:22:42:24, I thought he was dead.

00:22:43:12, 00:22:46:15, I've gone to Port Harcourt to look for him. I didn't see him.

00:22:47:12, 00:22:49:09, I said maybe he's dead.

00:22:50:16, 00:22:53:19, If he went any other place, I don't know.

00:23:15:09, 00:23:16:14, He's going down.

00:23:17:10, 00:23:18:15, He's going down.

00:23:46:05, 00:23:47:02, Take the machete.

00:23:54:23, 00:23:55:20, Turn the head.

00:24:01:23, 00:24:03:00, Cut it well.

00:24:08:16, 00:24:10:24, Being a militant you eat 24 hours a day.

00:24:11:03, 00:24:13:18, You eat in the morning. You eat in the afternoon. You eat in the evening.

00:24:13:24, 00:24:17:12, There are drinks for you. There are cigarettes for you to smoke.

00:24:17:24, 00:24:20:06, So, it's a better livelihood.

00:24:21:11, 00:24:24:24, Food is not our problem. Money is not our problem.

00:24:25:06, 00:24:26:11, But we need freedom.

00:24:33:15, 00:24:37:06, Okay, all of you should put your plates on the ground while I serve the food.

00:24:37:15, 00:24:38:20, This is my plate.

00:24:38:22, 00:24:41:13, Leave it for me. This is my plate now.

00:24:41:17, 00:24:44:20, Which plate is mine? - Look at it.

00:24:45:03, 00:24:47:20, What is wrong with you? - Let go. I'll wound you.

00:24:48:10, 00:24:49:24, I'm going to wound you.

00:24:50:03, 00:24:51:18, Let him video it, no problem.

00:24:52:11, 00:24:54:11, What is wrong with you? You, take this one.

00:24:57:07, 00:24:58:10, What is wrong with you?

00:25:02:17, 00:25:03:14, What is wrong with you?

00:25:04:07, 00:25:05:09, So you people want to fight?

00:25:05:22, 00:25:06:15, Hey, leave them.

00:25:06:18, 00:25:09:14, Old boy, leave them. Don't slap them.

00:25:13:02, 00:25:14:05, Look at my food...

00:25:18:20, 00:25:20:04, Hey, the big man is calling you.

00:25:28:03, 00:25:30:01, Now, take this boy. Go and beat him.

00:25:30:08, 00:25:32:23, You, you tell lies.

00:25:48:12, 00:25:49:19, Tell him to leave me.

00:25:58:04, 00:25:59:10, Tell him to leave me, Father Maximum.

00:26:10:02, 00:26:11:08, Let them rest.

00:26:13:14, 00:26:15:12, How many times have I warned you not to fight here?

00:26:17:04, 00:26:18:00, How many times?

00:26:22:17, 00:26:25:23, Don't you know that in the camp, if you fight, then you must fight it out.

00:26:25:24, 00:26:27:01, Haven't I said this before?

00:26:28:01, 00:26:30:01, Haven't you seen what happens when two people fight?

00:26:35:03, 00:26:40:12, You people should try better. Go and embrace each other.

00:26:45:17, 00:26:46:23, That's very good.

00:27:08:10, 00:27:11:13, Abuja Daddy - don't insult him.

00:27:11:14, 00:27:15:06, Of all the Niger Delta militants, he's the senior.

00:27:15:07, 00:27:17:17, Abuja Daddy, don't play with us.

00:27:19:04, 00:27:22:14, If you see his head - grey hair.

00:27:22:15, 00:27:25:23, If you see his jaw - grey hair.

00:27:25:24, 00:27:28:18, If you see his sideburns - grey hair.

00:27:28:20, 00:27:31:12, Oh my brother, don't play with us.

00:27:39:22, 00:27:41:07, Scandinavia is on second duty.

00:27:41:21, 00:27:43:22, Unit Head said he will be on second duty.

00:27:43:24, 00:27:45:07, Is Unit Head on second duty?

00:27:47:11, 00:27:49:21, If father is here, I will be here with him.

00:27:50:03, 00:27:53:01, But there's some boys that don't love being here.

00:27:53:04, 00:27:54:09, But I don't know why.

00:27:54:24, 00:27:56:20, I don't know why. They try to leave.

00:27:58:02, 00:28:00:24, They don't like the camp. Some of them will take off

00:28:02:02, 00:28:03:09, through the bush.

00:28:04:12, 00:28:06:01, That's why there's a guard post here.

Title:

00:28:06:22, 00:28:11:06, Chima

Dialogue:

00:28:12:13, 00:28:15:03, For my own side, I love that man so much. I love Ateke.

00:28:15:23, 00:28:17:18, I was in the prison yard before.

00:28:17:23, 00:28:19:11, He's the one that brought me out.

00:28:19:24, 00:28:22:18, If not for him, I would be in the prison yard till today.

00:28:36:06, 00:28:37:21, I take care of so many people.

00:28:38:03, 00:28:39:14, I'm not stingy.

00:28:39:20, 00:28:41:08, I send people to school.

00:28:42:07, 00:28:44:18, Anybody that bring matters, I solve the matter for them.

00:28:45:20, 00:28:47:09, That's why they call me Godfather.

00:28:48:02, 00:28:49:24, Because I save people.

00:28:53:20, 00:28:55:06, I can't be a criminal.

00:28:57:11, 00:28:58:15, It's a lie.

00:29:02:23, 00:29:06:08, It's because they want to kill me. Is it not the government that are calling me criminal?

00:29:06:09, 00:29:07:17, It's only the government.

00:29:09:18, 00:29:11:00, That's because they want to kill me.

00:29:14:06, 00:29:18:16, And, the struggle, the Niger Delta struggle...

00:29:21:07, 00:29:23:11, They feel I'm giving them problems.

00:29:31:11, 00:29:33:19, That's because I said they should give us our right.

Narration:

Chima and his comrades failed to keep watch through the night, and their post was left unguarded.

Dialogue:

00:30:11:02, 00:30:13:06, You people abandoned your guard post.

00:30:14:10, 00:30:17:03, When they're finished, you will lie here.

00:30:17:10, 00:30:18:21, When the man is finished, lie here.

00:30:19:02, 00:30:20:17, At a duty post, someone should always be there.

00:30:24:11, 00:30:25:05, Hide your face.

00:30:29:14, 00:30:30:23, I was at my duty post. - Shut your mouth.

00:30:33:22, 00:30:35:06, I was at my duty post.

00:30:40:21, 00:30:43:05, Father Maximum. - Father Maximum.

00:31:07:08, 00:31:08:15, Lie down flat there.

Narration:

Back in Ijawkiri, the villagers go about their lives in close proximity to the militants. One fisherman contemplates the choices young men must make when faced with the challenge of being poor in the Niger Delta.

Dialogue:

00:31:36:09, 00:31:40:02, My dad is a fisherman. My grand dad is a fisherman.

00:31:40:04, 00:31:41:17, So, I learned it from them.

00:31:45:19, 00:31:49:20, But the river has been polluted. The water is no longer natural.

00:31:50:16, 00:31:52:14, It's now been mixed with chemicals.

00:31:52:17, 00:31:54:04, So, the fish are scared.

00:31:54:12, 00:31:55:14, They all ran away.

00:31:57:00, 00:31:59:22, At times, you may go to the river two or three days and not catch anything.

00:31:59:24, 00:32:01:01, So, you won't kill yourself.

00:32:01:12, 00:32:03:19, You won't hurt anybody. You won't shout. You won't say anything.

00:32:03:21, 00:32:04:15, You just remain quiet

00:32:04:24, 00:32:06:04, until maybe you make money.

00:32:09:01, 00:32:10:12, Some people steal to make money.

00:32:10:18, 00:32:13:21, Some steal with pen, some with gun, some with knife,

00:32:13:23, 00:32:14:24, but I can't steal.

00:32:15:13, 00:32:16:13, I can't kill.

00:32:16:23, 00:32:19:08, I'll only struggle. With my sweat, I will make it.

00:32:23:08, 00:32:26:08, The ones here, across and there,

00:32:28:18, 00:32:31:03, they call themselves Okoloma Ikpangi.

00:32:32:18, 00:32:34:05, I keep away from them.

Narration:

Across the river, two members of the Okoloma Ikpangi wander through a nearby village that is under their protection.

Dialogue:

00:32:44:00, 00:32:46:16, Uncle, all these places, people have all run away.

00:32:46:18, 00:32:48:04, This is the kind of water we are drinking.

00:32:52:00, 00:32:53:22, I am the chief of this very place.

00:32:54:01, 00:33:00:21, So, we need assistance from the nation - federal government.

00:33:01:06, 00:33:05:03, We have a lot of multi-national companies in our community, in Bonny community.

00:33:05:06, 00:33:07:18, LNG Mobil is there. Shell is there.

00:33:07:21, 00:33:08:18, They don't give a damn.

00:33:08:22, 00:33:10:17, They are fighting for their freedom.

00:33:10:23, 00:33:13:00, There's no development in our town.

00:33:13:01, 00:33:15:03, That's why these boys are angry.

00:33:15:05, 00:33:16:06, Their own vexations.

00:33:16:09, 00:33:18:18, That is to say, we will fight for our own right.

00:33:18:20, 00:33:21:11, They call us militants. They call us sea pirates.

00:33:21:13, 00:33:22:14, All kinds of names.

00:33:22:17, 00:33:25:14, You see, but we are freedom fighters. We are fighting for our rights.

00:33:25:18, 00:33:27:15, We are not fighting for our self-interest.

00:33:27:17, 00:33:29:13, We are not born to be suffering like this

00:33:29:16, 00:33:31:10, when God has already blessed us and

00:33:32:04, 00:33:36:21, gave us all this oil and gas that we are supposed to be surviving from.

00:33:36:23, 00:33:38:03, How can you feed somebody?

00:33:38:06, 00:33:41:03, When anyone grows up, he will marry.

00:33:41:13, 00:33:45:23, When you marry, how will you manage to feed your children?

00:33:46:03, 00:33:50:13, So that is why we decided now to go into the bush and fight for our rights.

00:33:51:07, 00:33:53:10, Today, now, I'm a born militant.

00:33:53:13, 00:33:56:06, I will die for the nation. I volunteer myself

00:33:56:19, 00:33:59:24, to fight for the less privileged, even if I die.

00:34:00:02, 00:34:02:11, Even if I die, others will start from where I stopped.

00:34:02:13, 00:34:05:01, And I believe I will never die.

00:34:05:03, 00:34:07:04, We are Christ's armies.

00:34:07:14, 00:34:08:21, We are immortals.

00:34:08:23, 00:34:10:05, Nothing will happen to us.

00:34:17:11, 00:34:19:03, Lie, big lie.

00:34:19:06, 00:34:20:15, They're not fighting for us.

00:34:21:01, 00:34:23:15, They are fighting for their own stomach.

00:34:23:19, 00:34:25:16, I am not safe if I say something.

00:34:25:20, 00:34:29:15, If you say anything against them, they will kill you.|- You will die. Nothing will save you.

00:34:30:03, 00:34:34:24, There are so many dead bodies around this area that they killed.

00:34:35:03, 00:34:38:04, ...that are buried around the seashore.

00:34:41:14, 00:34:45:10, If they hear any bad news from you, you are not safe. - You are dead.

00:34:46:03, 00:34:49:11, That is why, when they come, all of us keep our mouths shut.

00:34:51:05, 00:34:53:18, Don't worry. Whoever shot that gun, I'll break his head.

00:34:58:02, 00:34:59:00, Master Chairman.

00:35:00:03, 00:35:02:03, Who fired that gun? - "10 10".

00:35:03:01, 00:35:04:20, It was "10 10" that fired a gun here.

Narration:

Discipline is also meted out among the Okoloma Ikpangi after one militant loses control of his weapon and accidently fires two bullets across the camp.

Title:

00:35:12:19, 00:35:18:02, Camp "Okoloma Ikpangi"

Dialogue:

00:35:18:09, 00:35:19:18, Who fucking fired the shot?

00:35:19:21, 00:35:21:14, Who put two shots in the air?

00:35:23:03, 00:35:25:06, Imagine "10 10" popped off two.

00:35:26:21, 00:35:28:05, Can you imagine "10 10" ?

00:35:28:19, 00:35:29:14, Right here.

00:35:29:22, 00:35:31:07, He could have killed somebody.

00:35:31:10, 00:35:34:21, He carried gun, opened magazine, cracked it, blow.

00:35:34:24, 00:35:38:12, This man opened the chamber, and gave somebody the gun.

00:35:38:13, 00:35:41:15, Hide your face. I will slap you.

00:35:42:03, 00:35:43:06, Why did you fire the shot?

00:35:46:09, 00:35:47:13, That man, give him twenty.

00:35:48:13, 00:35:50:23, Give the others ten each, and give him twenty

00:35:51:00, 00:35:52:15, so that next time he won't fuck up.

00:35:52:22, 00:35:55:08, Sufferings and lessons. You must learn.

00:36:04:15, 00:36:06:07, Turn and face the ground.

00:36:06:22, 00:36:07:23, They will flog your whole body.

00:36:16:12, 00:36:18:07, It's completed. It's completed.

00:36:18:23, 00:36:20:19, It's completed. It's completed.

Narration:

Rumors reach the village of the execution of two unarmed fishermen at the JTF Base in nearby Bonny. They were accused of being militant informants. A video of the incident later emerges. In neighboring Delta State, civilians flee as helicopter gunships attack rebel camps and villages where militants were entrenched.

Dialogue:

00:37:09:07, 00:37:10:09, They're shooting this way.

Narration:

Video surfaces of their flight, the aftermath, the military occupation, and the villagers displaced from there homes. With militants in their own midst, the inhabitants of Ijawkiri grow fearful that they too may come under attack.

Dialogue:

00:37:34:15, 00:37:37:20, Father, nothing is too hard for you to do.

00:37:38:07, 00:37:40:07, This problem that is coming, Father

00:37:40:22, 00:37:42:19, we commit it into your own hand.

00:37:43:11, 00:37:46:14, There should be no flying bullet across us in Jesus name.

00:37:47:02, 00:37:50:14, This war that is coming, either they come by air or by water, Father.

00:37:51:08, 00:37:54:02, We need your protection to protect this place, in Jesus name.

00:37:54:24, 00:37:59:05, Father, we ask power from you to go into the heart of these people

00:37:59:16, 00:38:00:22, that they should make peace

00:38:01:08, 00:38:03:16, in their hearts. Father, let there be peace in Jesus name.

00:38:04:05, 00:38:05:16, Amen.|- Amen!

00:38:05:19, 00:38:07:01, Praise God. - Hallelujah!

00:38:07:04, 00:38:08:06, Praise God. - Hallelujah!

00:38:08:09, 00:38:10:20, Praise Master Jesus! - Hallelujah!

00:38:14:22, 00:38:15:18, In my dream,

00:38:16:02, 00:38:17:17, I saw a plane drop a bomb.

00:38:17:24, 00:38:19:24, I told my people that there is problem coming.

00:38:21:01, 00:38:24:18, I saw people in this village packing their loads

00:38:26:03, 00:38:27:12, into their boat.

00:38:28:16, 00:38:34:22, Go up, you will see everybody in this village has packed their things.

00:38:35:05, 00:38:38:11, Government has sent us a message that everybody should leave this place.

00:38:39:08, 00:38:41:11, They sent it through one of our elders.

00:38:42:17, 00:38:48:11, When the military people come, maybe they will not know whether these people are fishermen or not.

00:38:48:15, 00:38:51:10, That is what we are very much afraid of.

00:38:54:00, 00:38:56:13, When they will come with their gunboats, we don't know what will happen.

00:38:57:24, 00:39:01:21, Now, you see, we are like refugees.

00:39:02:08, 00:39:03:09, Look at us.

Narration:

As the villagers depart from Ijawkiri, the Okoloma Ikpangi go on a reconnaissance mission contemplating a possible attack on Shell's liquid natural gas plant and the security forces on Bonny Island.

Dialogue:

00:39:21:11, 00:39:24:11, Whose gun is this? How are you gonna carry two guns?

00:39:28:04, 00:39:29:06, This is my gun.

00:39:34:04, 00:39:36:08, This is my gun, but it's not my magazine.

00:40:04:21, 00:40:06:09, We are inside the community.

00:40:06:12, 00:40:11:05, So, to attack these multi-nationals is just at our beak.

00:40:12:04, 00:40:13:15, We will just wake up one morning.

00:40:14:02, 00:40:16:20, We will walk down there, and cause any havoc we like.

00:40:17:15, 00:40:19:16, You can see how the seashore is.

00:40:27:08, 00:40:29:01, Look at how Mobil is.

00:40:33:17, 00:40:35:00, We will keep on fighting.

00:40:35:04, 00:40:36:15, And if they don't stop it,

00:40:36:18, 00:40:41:07, we are going to reduce the production rate of all these companies to the barest minimum.

00:40:52:19, 00:40:58:01, I want the Niger Delta, Niger Delta, - We are strong.

00:41:00:21, 00:41:04:09, I want to see godfather. - We are strong.

00:41:04:10, 00:41:07:22, Godfather tells us... - We are strong.

00:41:07:23, 00:41:11:00, ...that we should kill them and deal with them. - We are strong.

Narration:

Ateke's militants settle in for another night waiting for the situation to change, equally ready to rise again and fight or quietly return to ordinary life. But I had begun to wonder whether most of the guys were really here to fight for a noble cause. The villagers had lost faith in them. It seemed the choices that led them to join were born out of socio-economic conditions that offered them no good education, broken families, and virtually no opportunities to earn an honest living. And many, after a long exile in the wilderness, dream of returning home.

Dialogue:

00:42:05:20, 00:42:08:21, Any time somebody wakes up, it's their morning.

00:42:09:02, 00:42:11:06, If you like, let it be twelve o'clock...

00:42:11:14, 00:42:12:24, ...one o'clock. It's your morning.

00:42:17:00, 00:42:19:04, We are here waiting for the freedom.

00:42:19:20, 00:42:21:17, I hope that now is the bitter time

00:42:21:24, 00:42:26:19, and very soon, all of us will enter into the joy side.

00:42:31:06, 00:42:32:06, Godfather.

00:42:33:14, 00:42:35:05, We all greet you.

Narration:

Ateke calls together leaders and representatives of other militant groups in Rivers State. A delegation just returned from Abuja will report to Ateke on their negotiations with the federal government regarding the terms of a proposed amnesty.

Dialogue:

00:42:48:13, 00:42:50:19, They have started showing us signs

00:42:51:21, 00:42:54:21, signs of sincerity.

00:42:55:06, 00:42:57:09, For instance we told them,

00:42:57:20, 00:43:03:19, that firstly, this oil belongs to us, so we must be empowered.

00:43:04:17, 00:43:08:18, It is our oil that the Hausas, the Yorubas, and the Ibos use to empower themselves.

00:43:09:00, 00:43:13:08, Meanwhile, we are the ones given the bad names. And you kill us every day

00:43:14:01, 00:43:15:12, in the name of our own oil.

00:43:15:18, 00:43:18:12, So we must be empowered by our own oil.

00:43:18:24, 00:43:20:19, They agreed with us.

00:43:20:24, 00:43:26:00, Immediately, the minister of defense addressed a press conference

00:43:26:08, 00:43:27:12, on this issue.

00:43:27:18, 00:43:31:02, It's all over the media, the newspaper, the television house

00:43:31:16, 00:43:35:02, meaning that they have taken a step forward.

00:43:35:20, 00:43:40:20, In order for us to have results. Let's also have suggestions that will take us forward.

00:43:41:01, 00:43:45:12, That within a very short period, if we organize ourselves

00:43:45:13, 00:43:49:14, we can now speak whenever we are being called upon.

00:43:49:16, 00:43:52:10, We can now speak in one voice.

00:43:52:20, 00:43:56:01, So what you came for is good. I've heard the whole report.

00:43:56:11, 00:43:58:04, You have elaborated on the issues.

00:43:58:23, 00:44:02:12, Let's comport ourselves properly.

00:44:03:02, 00:44:04:10, So now, this thing that started

00:44:04:23, 00:44:08:24, let's handle it well and see what the outcome will be.

00:44:09:04, 00:44:11:09, That's my advice for this house.

Narration:

As the meeting adjourns, it is clear is that in Nigeria's capital discussions are underway that may determine the fate of all the Niger Delta militants.

Dialogue:

00:44:35:17, 00:44:37:02, I'm a human being now.

00:44:38:11, 00:44:40:03, I have brothers and sisters.

00:44:41:06, 00:44:44:03, I want to go home. I want to go see my parents.

00:44:44:12, 00:44:46:03, I have never seen them for so many years.

00:44:46:11, 00:44:48:06, I have never seen them since I entered prison

00:44:49:02, 00:44:49:20, up to now.

00:44:57:13, 00:44:59:10, Chima, I pray for him.

00:45:00:07, 00:45:05:05, I don't want to hear he has another problem.

00:45:05:11, 00:45:06:16, Like going to prison.

00:45:08:09, 00:45:12:15, I urge him to continue the job or business he's doing.

00:45:12:17, 00:45:14:09, God will bless him.

00:45:15:12, 00:45:19:16, I believe in only one god

00:45:19:24, 00:45:24:04, for whom all things were made,

00:45:24:08, 00:45:29:06, for whom all things were made.

00:45:30:22, 00:45:33:06, I believe in only one god.

00:45:33:11, 00:45:35:06, I'm a person that's always in the hands of God.

00:45:35:10, 00:45:37:05, I pray to God very well.

00:45:37:17, 00:45:40:10, Because if they take away God, nothing exists.

Narration:

With Chima's permission, I show his mother some video clips of him in the camp... without revealing details of the life in which he is engaged.

Dialogue:

00:45:52:09, 00:45:54:11, My mother is a good woman.

00:45:55:12, 00:45:58:07, My mother, she's the one that paid to do everything

00:45:58:09, 00:46:01:07, in order that I will know a little about the work.

00:46:02:03, 00:46:03:18, I love my mother so much.

00:46:04:00, 00:46:05:02, The woman tried for me.

00:46:06:02, 00:46:10:06, Well, there's a song that they used to sing when you enter prison:

00:46:12:00, 00:46:15:01, "I've entered, oh. To get out is not easy."

00:46:17:07, 00:46:19:14, Prison yard is a rough life.

00:46:21:21, 00:46:24:05, It's not good to enter. It's not good at all.

00:46:25:15, 00:46:27:16, My mother is a nice woman, understand?

00:46:28:07, 00:46:30:17, A nice woman that used to take care of us very well.

00:46:32:04, 00:46:33:14, I love her so much.

00:46:36:21, 00:46:40:11, Tell him that the family wants to see him immediately.

00:46:41:17, 00:46:44:21, It's over four years now, going to four years.

00:46:44:22, 00:46:46:02, I've not seen him.

00:46:46:09, 00:46:47:09, So, we need to see him.

00:46:47:13, 00:46:48:13, She doesn't know I'm here.

00:46:48:15, 00:46:50:03, She thinks - she must be thinking...

00:46:50:10, 00:46:52:16, You know that time I entered this police station problem

00:46:53:07, 00:46:55:00, she heard it, and

00:46:55:04, 00:47:00:07, she heard the police station burned down, and that I was still inside when it happened.

00:47:01:16, 00:47:05:19, Since that time, and a few years now, I haven't seen her.

00:47:06:12, 00:47:08:06, She must think I'm dead.

00:47:09:22, 00:47:13:02, Tell him to come back. Let me see him.

00:47:13:10, 00:47:14:06, You hear?

00:47:14:12, 00:47:15:09, Please.

Narration:

In Abuja, the President of Nigeria Umaru Musa Yar'adua makes a statement that will directly impact Chima's fate. The militants are given a period of two months to accept the deal.

Dialogue:

00:47:26:24, 00:47:30:03, I hereby grant amnesty

00:47:30:11, 00:47:32:18, and unconditional pardon

00:47:33:09, 00:47:38:02, to all persons who have directly or indirectly

00:47:39:02, 00:47:42:04, participated in the commission of offences

00:47:42:16, 00:47:45:07, associated with militant activities

00:47:45:23, 00:47:47:13, in the Niger Delta.

00:48:02:19, 00:48:03:13, Chima.

00:48:04:00, 00:48:05:06, Chimankpa.

00:48:06:16, 00:48:08:17, Where are you?

00:48:11:05, 00:48:12:11, When are you coming back?

00:48:13:08, 00:48:14:12, When are you coming?

00:48:19:08, 00:48:20:05, What did you say?

00:48:22:23, 00:48:23:13, Chimankpa.

00:48:25:14, 00:48:26:16, It has cut.

00:48:28:02, 00:48:30:07, He's doing the work he learned.

00:48:31:06, 00:48:33:14, Chima. Son?

00:48:35:16, 00:48:36:12, What did you say?

00:48:37:11, 00:48:38:12, Can you hear what I'm saying?

00:48:45:17, 00:48:46:14, Amen.

00:48:47:17, 00:48:48:23, Oluchi has come back.

00:48:49:02, 00:48:50:05, Oh, bye bye.

00:48:50:12, 00:48:53:16, He says he's praying for me that God should bless me.

00:48:55:09, 00:48:56:11, He says he will come back.

00:49:00:05, 00:49:02:21, I really want to see my brother.

00:49:03:09, 00:49:05:03, I want to see Chima again.

Narration:

The militants remain in camp while their leaders negotiate the terms of their surrender.

Dialogue:

00:49:20:09, 00:49:25:17, In many many ways, you know we are just like gangsters.

00:49:32:07, 00:49:34:16, I call myself one man squad.

00:49:35:21, 00:49:37:16, I have friends, but I have no friends.

00:49:41:00, 00:49:44:00, We are brothers in the business.

00:49:44:16, 00:49:47:21, But you know some of us are from different villages,

00:49:47:22, 00:49:49:01, different states,

00:49:49:05, 00:49:50:13, and different towns.

00:49:50:20, 00:49:54:03, You will see Kalabari, you will see Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo,

00:49:54:04, 00:49:57:12, you will see many many places, Cross Rivers, many many places.

00:49:59:00, 00:50:04:15, As our faces are different, so our minds are different.

00:50:04:20, 00:50:06:06, They are my brothers in the business.

00:50:07:03, 00:50:08:11, I have no friend here.

00:50:11:03, 00:50:12:24, That is why I have to walk alone.

00:50:29:03, 00:50:32:03, Peace and unity - one Nigeria.

TITLE:

INSIDE STORY

TV Host:

The last prominent militant in Nigeria has given up his weapons after agreeing to an amnest deal with the government. It comes after years of rebel led attacks on Nigeria's oil industry damaging the economy and costing the country billions in lost revenue. Now the government has offered the government cash and jobs for thousands of fighters in return for peace, but will it last?

TV Correspondent:

A rowdy welcome in Port Harcourt for one of Nigeria's most notorious rebel commanders. Ateke Tom - a man in charge of two thousand fighters - about to lay down his arms in exchange for cash and education. A last pose for the cameras, and then the serious business of handing over his huge arsenal begins.

Narration:

The villagers from Ijawkiri returned to their homes. The amnesty brought a period of relative calm to the Niger Delta that wouldn't last. Tompolo, Boyloaf, Farah Dagogo, Ateke Tom, and a host of other militant bosses took the president's deal, and laid down their weapons. But, the root causes of the conflict were never addressed. There are still no good roads, no good schools, and no good hospitals. The oil still flows. The oil companies get richer. The west gets cheap oil, while the environment is further polluted. Today, the villagers in Ijawkiri continue to cast their hooks in the oily waters of the Niger Delta.