THREAT BY THE DEFENCE HEADQUARTERS TO NEUTRALIZE ALHAJI MUJAHID DOKUBO ASARI UNDERMINES DEMOCRATIC SECURITY IN NIGERIA
By Rt Hon. Gabriel Patterson Unyeowaji
Global News That The Nigerian Defence Headquarters, in relation to a comment allegedly made by Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari, the President/CEO of Royal Fouche Security Limited, has threatened to neutralize him by viciously inviting him to a nonexistent battlefield.
In a press release by Major General Edward Buba, it was stated that they would take out Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari. This statement is a threat to democracy, as it violates the Constitution of Nigeria. Only a court of competent jurisdiction can determine what will happen to any citizen of the Nigerian state.
The position of the Defence Headquarters, without any official investigation into whatever Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari may have said, depicts complicity in the events that warranted his comments. If this issue is approached correctly, the first step is to revisit the comment, which is expressly a statement of self-defense and homeowners’ rights enshrined in Nigerian law.
If I recall correctly, Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari stated that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, sent a helicopter that bore no insignia to hover specifically over his residence in Obuama, Rivers State. No law in Nigeria permits aircraft to specifically fly or hover around a private residence without official permission, as it violates the rights of the homeowner, which are enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria and protect the right to private and family life. Thus, several salient questions need to be directed to the Defence Headquarters, such as:
1. Did the Defence Headquarters order the unmarked helicopter gunship to fly or hover specifically over the residence of Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari?
2. If yes, what were the reasons, especially considering he is a provider of security in assistance to the Federal Government? If not, who has the haste to rise in defense of an aircraft that has violated the constitutional provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
3. Why did the Defence Headquarters leave out the complaint by Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari regarding the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike? Are they protecting him? Is it not clear that they are deliberately targeting Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari to murder him, given that their statement bears no other humane intellectual argument other than the intent to kill him?
4. Is it not possible that there are rogue elements within the ranks and file of the Defence Headquarters? Otherwise, why issue threats instead of addressing the issue through official and diplomatic channels, since the aircraft is in clear violation of the law? If so, is the Defence Headquarters not protecting such rogue elements who could have launched an illegal mission?
The Nigerian military must understand that it does not possess parallel governing authority and power in this democracy. Exercising such authority unilaterally undermines Nigeria’s democracy. The authority and power it exercises come from the laws of Nigeria as enshrined in the Constitution and the various Acts of the National Assembly. There is nowhere it is empowered to threaten citizens of the country, especially one who has contributed immensely to national security.
Again, the Defence Headquarters should channel its professional skills of neutralization to tackle the banditry and terrorism that has been festering in the North for years. It should focus the same professional skills of neutralization to recapture the Boko Haram terrorists that it has enrolled into its ranks and who have now absconded with sophisticated weapons from the military’s armory, posing a severe danger to a large portion of our civilian population.
Finally, the military should not involve itself in the politics of Rivers State or Nigeria in general but should remain neutral. The situation in Rivers State necessitates that Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari be conscious of the security of his life and that of his loved ones. Therefore, it is vexatious for any aircraft, whether military or civilian, to hover over his residence specifically. Hence, it is out of place to threaten him over whatever he says (having a right to freedom of speech) concerning the insecurity he perceives due to that unmarked aircraft.
On this note, it would be appropriate for Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari to file for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights against the Defence Headquarters because it has no right to act recklessly. Additionally, the attention of the National Assembly, especially the Senate Committee on Defence, should be called to invite representatives of the Defence Headquarters for questioning. We are in a democracy, not a military regime; as such, no agency of government can hold the country to ransom.
Rt Hon. Gabriel Patterson Unyeowaji
Igrigi 1 of Niger Delta