March 13, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 4, 1429

PARIS, March 12: A stash of weapons seized from a fugitive militant leader in Nigeria’s Niger Delta would have been enough to raise an army, shocked senators said.

Nigerian soldiers hunting Niger Delta gang leader Ateke Tom, said on Tuesday they had found a huge cache of arms and ammunition, along with an illegal pipeline used to tap stolen oil, in a raid on one of his bases.

Senate spokesman Ayogu Eze said: “We were very shocked with the quantum of weapons we saw at Ateke’s house. These militants are well armed. They are huge enough to raise an army.

“The next thing the militants would aspire to have would be private refineries where they will suck our collective resources for private use.”—AFP