More than one year after he was detained on the order of a Federal high court, Abuja over treasonable offences, the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo yesterday said that he was now ready to face his trial.
He gave the hint on a day an application to subpoena and jail both the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Dr Kayode Are and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Sunday Ehindero for colluding with each other to keep him in an underground cell contrary to court order was withdrawn.
Dokubo spoke through one of his counsel, Mr Donald Ariku at the Federal high court, Abuja, yesterday.
He did not give any reason for the withdrawal of the application which was like a stumbling block to the hearing of the substantive suit.
The trial judge, Justice Binta Murtala Nyarko did not waste time to strike out the application.But Dokubo yesterday said that he had not backed down on his quest for his temporary freedom while his trial goes on. He is presently before the Supreme Court over the bail bid. The apex court, after ordering parties to file written submissions, has fixed March 8 for hearing in the bail application. Notwithstanding the pendency of the bail application, Dokubo said he is willing and ready to face his trial.
It would be recalled that the detained leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Asari Dokubo was arraigned late 2005 before a Federal high court sitting in Abuja for allegedly planning with undisclosed number of people and societies to topple President Olusegun Obasanjo�s government through unconstitutional means.
Asari who was accused to have conspired with the undisclosed accomplices at Samsy Hotel, Benin City, Edo state on or about August 28, 2005 to levy war against President Obasanjo�s government was also alleged to have incited people of Niger Delta region to carry arms against their sitting governors over alleged mismanagement of public funds.
None of the organizations allegedly formed by him to achieve his goal was included on the charge sheet neither was any individual�s name included.
The charge simply said that his accomplices were at large.
In the criminal information filed in court and read to Dokubo for the purpose of taking his pleas, the Federal Government accused him thus:
COUNT 1
That you: (1) Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari �m�, 41 years old of No. 13 Agudama Street , D � Line, Port Harcourt; and others (presently at large) on or abut 28th August, 2005 at SAMSY Hotel, Benin City, Edo State within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit: treasonable felon; by forming an intention to;
(a) Remove during his term of office otherwise than by constitutional means, President Olusegun Obasanjo as Head of State of the Federation and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces thereof: and
(b) levy war in order by force, constraint, to compel the President to change his measures, counsel and manifested such intention by overt acts; and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 41 and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Chapter 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.
COUNT 2
That you: (1) Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari (m), 41 years old of No 13 Agudama Street, D � Line, Port Harcourt, and others (presently at large) on or about 28th August, 2005 at SAMSY Hotel , Benin City, Edo State within the jurisdiction of the Federal high Court commit treasonable felony against the Federal Republic of Nigeria by respectively belonging to Militant Groups known as the Niger Delta People Volunteer Force (NDPVF); Congress for the Liberation of Ikwere People (COLIP) and Chikoko Movement which threatened to take up arms in order to intimidate and overawe the President and Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and manifested such intention by overt acts and you thereby committed a felony contrary to and punishable under S.41 of the Criminal Code Act Chapter 77 Laws of the federation of Nigeria 1990.