Ofonime Umanah and_tunde Opeseitan (Daily Independent)

24 June 2009

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port Harcourt/lagos — Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Mujahideen Dokubo-Asari, was arrested at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday by the operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on his way from Germany.

His cousel, Festus Keyamo, told Daily Independent on the telephone on Tuesday night that Dokubo was coming from Frankfurt where he had been since May 23 for medical check up.

According to Keyamo, as he was coming out of the aircraft, SSS men swooped on him and seized his passport.

“They did not tell him why he was arrested, and he has been whisked to an unknown destination. He managed to speak with me on phone,” Keyamo recounted.

He said the implication of the arrest on the amnesty proposed by President Umaru Yar’Adua is that militants will be scared from the peace process.


“Those who would have embrace the peace process will shy away. It shows that the Federal Government is not sincere. The whole amnesty is a grand trap to lure the militants out and imprison them.”

Attempts to reach the Lagos State SSS boss, Ibrahim Audu, on phone were unsuccessful as he neither picked his calls nor replied the text message sent to him.

Before news of the arrest broke, militants had on Tuesday listed conditions for accepting the amnesty to include unconditional release of Henry Okah, leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), and the dropping of treason charges against Dokubo.

Niger Delta Non Violent Movement (NDNVM) President, Onengiya Erekosima, disclosed that henchmen such as Ateke Tom and Soboma George also want their names expunged from criminal records which arose from the government’s intransigence on the Niger Delta question.

He said they describe themselves as victims of the lust for power of the political class and its rabid ambition.

He quoted them as saying that the government should discontinue military bombardments and operations in any part of the Niger Delta, as George, Boy Loaf, Fara Dagogo and others have all agreed to embrace peace – just that they cannot trust Abuja which in the past dealt with militants who accepted reconciliation.

Said Erekosima: “Their fear is hinged on previous insincerity of the government towards peace. For instance, Soboma came out from his hiding to negotiate peace only to be arrested by the JTF (Joint Task Force) in Buguma.

“Tom Polo canvassed for peace among so-called militants, he became a target for assassination and arrest. Dokubo embraced peace and was arrested, detained, and prosecuted.

“Tom accepted peace, but he was not encouraged; rather a military assault was launched on his base.” Erekosima warned that there may be total war if amnesty offer does not meet the conditions listed by the militants.

Flowing from that, 52 Niger Delta communities – including Gbaramatu, Oporoza, Okerenko, Pre-Ama and Opele-Ama – have sued the Federal Government to the Federal High Court in Asaba, challenging the invasion by troops.

The suit filed on their behalf on Monday by human rights activist, Femi Falana, seeks N100 billion. Nelson Ogelegbanwei of Oporoza and other leaders took the lawsuit, in which they joined as respondents President Umaru Yar’Adua; federal Attorney General and Justice Minister, Michael Aondoakaa; and JTF Commander, Major-General Sarkin Yarkin-Bello.

They alleged, among others, that the military incursion was ordered by Yar’Adua without any law enacted by the National Assembly, and want the court to restrain the defendants from deploying soldiers to the Niger Delta without legislative backing.

However, JTF Spokesman, Rabe Abubakar, reiterated on Tuesday that the cordon and search operation in Nembe in Bayelsa is to weed out criminals.

He said nine suspects were arrested while 142 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, six empty magazines, two dane guns and a speed boat were recovered.