Recent outbursts and threats of war against the nation by some former Niger Delta militants if President Goodluck Jonathan is defeated in the forthcoming presidential elections have prompted a former Minister of Defence, Theophilus Danjuma, to call for the immediate arrest of Asari Dokubo and other Niger Delta militants.
Danjuma, a retired General, who made this call Wednesday in Kano while commissioning the multibillion naira Kwakwasiya City built by the administration of Kano State governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso, stated the threats issued by the militants were not just against national unity but also capable of plunging the country into war.
Describing the utterances of Dokubo and other ex-militants as ‘reckless’, he tasked the security agencies and the government to immediately arrest them.
“You should arrest Asari Dokubo, Tompolo, Boylof and other Niger Delta militants for making reckless statements, which in any way does not encourage keeping Nigeria as one entity and creating war situation,” the retired Genral said.
Former Niger Delta militants including the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, Victor Ben Ebikabowei, aka, Boy Loaf, Government Ekpudomenowei, aka, Tompolo; and others met last Saturday at the Bayelsa State Government House where they threatened to unleash violence on the country and take back Niger Delta oil if President Jonathan suffers defeat in the February 14 election.
Dokubo, who spoke publicly at the meeting, insisted that the Ijaw nation had received enough intimidation from the rest of the nation and that the region would no longer tolerate that.
Condemning the reported stoning attacks on Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi states during the on-going presidential campaigns, Dokubo stated that the survival of the Ijaw nation rests in the hands of the militants present at the meeting.
Waxing biblical, Dokubo stated “For every Goliath, God created a David. For every Pharaoh, there is a Moses. We are going to war. Every one of you should go and fortify yourself.
Victor Ben Ebikabowei, commonly called Boyloaf, who also addressed those present, condemned the attacks on Jonathan, warning that nobody had a monopoly of violence.
Faulting the idea of a united Nigeria, Boyloaf stated that the only unifying factor in the nation was the crude oil which was the inheritance of the South-south region.
Boyloaf warned that in the event of a Jonathan defeat at the polls and a consequent shift of power to the North, the people of the Niger Delta region would claim exclusive rights to their oil.
He encouraged the people to ignore issues that have the potential to divide them, and strive for unity in confronting the present challenges against the Ijaw nation.
“Keep grudges and sentiments apart. We are ready to match them bumper to bumper,” he stated.
Prior to these threats, security agencies in the country had warned politicians and their supporters to refrain from making statement s capable of inciting others or leading to violence as the country prepares for the general election in February.
However, no law enforcement or security agency has responded to the threat issued against the nation more than a week after they were made.