The Leader of the Niger Delta
People’s Volunteer Force
(NDPVF), Mujaheed Asari
Dokubo on Monday warned the
Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta
(MEND) not to precipitate
religious war in Nigeria by
attacking Mosques saying any
religious crisis in Nigeria will
have ‘far reaching
consequences’.
Speaking with state house
correspondents at the presidential
Villa, Mr Dokubo also told members
of the Boko Haram sect to stop
playing to the gallery because they
cannot win the war they are
waging against the people in the
northern part of the country.
He said, “I am a Muslim I do not
subscribe to attacking religious
centres of worship, I do not believe
that MEND exist, I have always
said that there is nothing like
MEND. MEND is just the figment of
the imagination of people, it’s on the
Internet, newspapers, but who is
MEND, nobody can really tell you.
“MEND was formed, only for name
for the purpose of my release and
the release of Alamesaigha when
we were in detention. MEND
leaders are not known anywhere
like other organizations like the
Ijaw Youth Council, OPC and so on.
MEND actually is faceless, because
Henry Okah himself has denied
that he is not the leader of MEND
in court under oath.
“I want to say that there is no
religious war in Nigeria and nobody
should try to throw Nigeria into
religious crisis that will have far
reaching consequences. For instance
in Yoruba land, how are you going
to fight? In some families the
family is divided, the mother is a
Christian, the father is a Muslim,
the children are divided, there are
pastors, there are missioners of
Islamic organizations.
“Even in my family, of my fathers
children, I am the only Muslim and
my eighteen children are also
Muslims, so how are we going to
fight and kill each other. I don’t
think it will be possible and I don’t
think anybody should be foolhardy
in introducing that agenda into the
crisis we already have” he said.
On the attack that led to the death
of twelve policemen in Bayelsa
state, Mr Dokubo said
investigations show that those who
carried out the attack were
disgruntled former fighters whose
leaders allegedly refused to pay
their monthly stipend.
“The unfortunate incidence that
happened in the Bayelsa ,if you dig
deep into it, many people were paid
money through this amnesty and
instead of paying their followers
they pocketed much of the money
for themselves and these followers
were angry that the N65,000
stipend that was supposed to go to
them did not get to them. And
according to the allegation when
one of the leaders was going for his
mother’s burial, they had the
opportunity to attack because they
had problems with the engine of
the boat and the Police were
stranded and were attacked and I
don’t think it is MEND, I think it is
an internal disagreement and some
of the perpetrators have been
arrested. I am very concerned
about it, our struggle was a moral
struggle and anybody who
introduces any other element into
that struggle is not part of us” he
said.
On the proposed amnesty for
members of the Boko Haram, Asari
Dokubo said the issue of Amnesty
for people who have not been
convicted as done to the Niger Delta
militants was faulty.
“I First amnesty is a fraud, it is not
known to Nigerian law. The
government can only put in two
things, exercise prerogative of
mercy after a person has been
convicted or when a person is
under trial to put a Nolli Prosequi,
but you cannot see somebody and
declare him a criminal and give
him pardon. It is very wrong, it is a
mistake we made the first time
and if you have made mistake
once, you continue to make it.
“If they give amnesty to the Salafi
movement, I don’t know them as
Boko Haram, other people will come
and maybe I will form a group and
ask for amnesty and they will give
me, so the vicious circle will
continue.
“I cannot in one breath see that
some other people are sitting at
home and receiving 65 thousand
Naira and say that others should
not. It will be inconsistent with
what I stand for. As far as am
concerned the amnesty has been
given to one set of people, it should
be given to all” he said.
Asked whether he was surprised
at the rejection of the amnesty
offer by the Boko Haram, Asari
Dokubo asked the group not to
“play to the gallery because this is
a war they cannot win. You will
just be killing and causing
dislocation in the system and the
Prophet said he who commits
suicide is going to end up in hell
fire and he who commits suicide is
not part of us.
“There are conditions for jihad and
we are not afraid to fight as
Muslims. Jihad is compulsory for
every Muslim, we are not ashamed
and we are not apologetic about it.
if North Korea can go to war with
South Korea, if America can go to a
senseless war in Iraq, if a Muslim
is threatened, the prophet says
fight against those who fight
against you, if they desist you stop,
there are conditions for jihad. Jihad
can only be possible if you are
prevented from praying, reading
your Koran, marrying and other
things that affect your religion.
When people are misguided you
need to guide them” he cautioned.
He called for the regulation of what
religious figures dish out to the
public noting that a situation
where people who are not
knowledgeable in the tenets of their
religion are allowed to mislead the
public will not augur well for the
peace of the country.

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