Leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, Mujaheed Asari Dokubo 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’.
The arrogance of Shekau and his group is unIslamic
Asari Dokubo told state house correspondents that those who claim to be representing MEND and perpetrating crime in the Niger Delta region are impostors.
” I am a Muslim I do not subscribe to attacking religious centers 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 have 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, Asari 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 introduce 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. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Nawa for this country o! Amnesty is now meant for any jack and harry. You can just imagine, criminals being paid N65,000 monthly salary without doing any productive work! The graduates who working in many of the government establishments how many are been paid N65,000 monthly. Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder.
ReplyDeleteAsari, you are truly a leader, keep it up. But please advise GEJ to start packing his bags and leave ASO ROCK coming 2015 so that he can last longer because calamity is looming due to his incapability to rule a complex project called Nigeria please and please.
ReplyDeleteleadership is everybody's birth right. No man has d right to deprive another of the right to lead, but if ur emergence as a leader comes with so much price, if it opens a can of worm, with the lives of the innocent being wasted just to unseat or dethrone you, then wat a ''true and worthy leader'' will do is to take very stern decisions to fighting such insurgency, he would see to it that perpetrators of such evil are brought to their knees hastily to avoid further spill of the innocent blood. He would fight to subdue the might of the evil ones rather than expressing weakness and lack of clue. He won't offer tears where he should offer actions. Any leader who's ready to lead a (cabalised & cannibalised) country like Nigeria must not be scared to step on toes. To save d scores of innocent Nigerians, i don't think it'll be cruelty to sacrifice very few evil Nigerians who have in their selfishness & cheer wickedness held this country hostage ( Jerry Rawlings of Ghana understood that the salvation of Ghana depended on d sacrifice of it's blessings blockers & he played d messiah and saved Ghana). Now that's a true leader. Leadership is not always all about making appealing decisions, but doing what must be done to save d greater scores and the innocent (we need a Jerry Rawlings in this perilous time in our country, since ''d cabal'' are obviously our problem, being the root of all evil and corruption resident in our system).They have looted our treasury, built empires that will last their 10th generations with tax payers money and the blood of the innocent, that much we took, but to continue to slaughter the innocent for their selfish interest is what must be stopped in dis country!!! So in my humble opinion, GEJ better 'man-up'' or leave leadership to men with the testicular fortitude (steel balls) to fight evil without fear or favour. This is my take!
ReplyDeleteMy candid advise to my dear GEJ, ''man-up'' and crush the few toes that must be crushed to save d scores of innocent Nigerians or leave d Throne for someone with the testicular fortitude (steel balls) to make history, good or bad. Leadership is not for the weak. Nigeria is sure not d kind of country to lead with the lily- liver. We're more than 150m, but the pple who have held this nation hostage are not upto 1000. haba! do wat Jerry Rawlings did and engrave ur name on d eternal stones of history. Nigerians will surely immortalize u for that. Start wit d pple who threatened to make 9ja ungovernable for u. Apparently, it was a prophesy they have fulfilled. This is my take!
ReplyDelete