Detained Niger Delta activist and youth leader, Alhaji Asari Dokubo has called for the unconditional release of the German national held hostage by a militant group in the Niger-Delta just as he denied any involvement in the hostage taking.
A statement signed on his behalf by the National Chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN), Mr. Allen Onyema said the detained activist had no hand in the kidnap of the German citizen.
A militant group currently holding a German hostage in the restive Niger Delta had demanded the release of Dokubo and one other detainee as a condition for the release of the hostage.
The statement reads:”It has come to the notice of the detained Niger-Delta activist and youth leader, Alhaji Asari Dokubo through a newspaper report that the kidnappers of the German national who was kidnapped few days ago were demanding his immediate and unconditional release from detention and that of another person facing trial as a condition for the release of the hostage.
“Asari wishes to appeal to the kidnappers to release unconditionally, their hostage as he has no hand in his travails. He appreciates the concern of the kidnappers for him but fervently pleads with them to release the hostage”, it stated.
The statement further stated that Dokubo “sincerely appreciates the concern of the kidnappers for him but believes that they could still achieve their desire through peaceful means”.
FEHN also said Dokubo has mandated it to help transform members of his group through the non-violence education introduced by the group.
“The programme has been transforming lives of people involved hitherto in violence and disruptive activities. Some of his boys are today converted and are involved in preaching the gospel of peace and peaceful methods of resolving conflicts”, it added.
Aug92006