The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has issued a strong warning to the Nigerian government, threatening to organize nationwide protests if prominent Niger Delta leader and former agitator, Mujahid Asari Dokubo, is not arrested for unlawful possession of assault rifles and his alleged threats against the lives and property of Igbo people in the country.
In a statement released by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group demanded that the administration of President Bola Tinubu take immediate action within 72 hours to apprehend Asari Dokubo or face unprecedented protests that would resonate across the entire country, including all states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
HURIWA asserts that Asari Dokubo should be arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) or any other relevant security agency due to his suspected involvement with the violent activities of the “unknown gunmen” phenomenon in the South-East region.
Earlier in June 2023, Asari Dokubo made alarming statements during his visit to President Bola Tinubu at the Aṣọ Villa in Abuja. The former militant claimed to be actively participating in conflicts in various states, including Plateau, Niger, Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Rivers, fighting on the side of the Nigerian government. He even asserted that his men, employed by the Nigerian government, were stationed in Niger.
In a viral video, Asari Dokubo was seen brandishing multiple AK-47 rifles and issuing threats against the Igbo people for their support of Labour Party’s Peter Obi in the February 25, 2023 presidential election, opposing Asari Dokubo’s preferred candidate, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
The authenticity of the video has been verified by media outlets, raising concerns about Asari Dokubo’s involvement in gunrunning and his threatening statements against the Igbo community. Notably, he publicly requested that President Bola Tinubu refrain from releasing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
HURIWA’s Onwubiko emphasized that the Nigerian government must take immediate action to arrest Asari Dokubo, warning that failure to do so would indirectly push Igbo youths, supporters of the Igbo people, and all groups advocating for their well-being to commence peaceful protests simultaneously.
