One-time
Minister of Defence Gen. Theophilus Danjuma yesterday called for the
arrest of former Niger Delta-militants, who are threatening to rock the
boat should President Goodluck Jonathan lose the February 14 election.
Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari said after a
meeting last week in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, that
“ex-militants” would return to their old ways should Dr Jonathan lose
the election.
Gen. Danjuma described the statement as “reckless” and called for the arrest of the ex-militants.
Saying politicians and their supporters
should be wary of provocative and inflammatory statements, he described
Asari-Dokubo’s threat as condemnable.
He said “Those are very reckless
statements made by irresponsible individuals and they should be
condemned. In fact, they should be arrested.”
The former Chief of Army Staff was responding to reporters’ questions in Kano during the inauguration of the
Senate building of the North West University. The institution was established by the Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso administration.
”Successors abandon what they inherit;
my prayer is that whoever that is going to succeed you (Kwankwaso) will
continue with the very good work you have started,” Gen. Danjuma, the
guest of honour said.
Gen Danjuma also commissioned the multi
billion naira Kwankwasiyya Village, one of the three mega cities built
by the governor who he described as a man with foresight under whose
watch Kano has witnessed rapid development.
Kwankwaso said his administration had
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)with a Chinese firm, which has
acquired 200 units from the Kwankwassiyya village and within three
months the state governments will be richer with N5 billion.
Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta
Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF); Victor Ben Ebikabowei, aka, Boyloaf;
Government Ekpudomenowei, aka Tompolo and other ex-militants last
Saturday vowed to ensure that President Goodluck Jonathan wins the
presidential election.
The militant leaders and their
ex-followers spoke at the meeting at a Government House in Yenagoa,
threatening to unleash violence on the country and take back “Niger
Delta oil” should the president lose the election.
They also said any attempt to dethrone Jonathan would be seen as a direct attack on the Ijaw nation.
Addressing the Yenagoa meeting,
Dokubo-Asari said: “For every Goliath, God created a David. For every
Pharoah, there is a Moses. We are going to war. Everyone of you should
go and fortify yourself.”
Boyloaf condemned the attack on
President Jonathan in the North, saying nobody has the monopoly of
violence. “Keep grudges and sentiments apart. We are ready to match them
bumper to bumper,” he said.
The Federal Government has so far not reacted to the threat.
But the Ijaw Youth Council on
Monday clarified the statement by Dokubo-Asari, which it described as
his personal opinion and not that of the group.
According to the IYC, its interest is
that the elections should be fair. It said if the president loses a free
and fair poll, there would be no trouble, but that they would not
accept an unfair election.
The Police and the State Security
Service (SSS) have threatened to arrest anyone making provocative
statements but they have not reacted to this development.
Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda has
claimed that the stoning of the President’s convoy in Bauchiwas the
handiwork of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters.
The opposition All Progressives Congress
(APC) believes that attacks are part of PDP’s plan to force a
postponement of the polls.
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/danjuma-arrest-tompolo-asari-dokubo-others-now-2/
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