Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDVF), says he is not in a position to stop hostage taking by militants in the Niger Delta.
He told reporters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, yesterday that he could not stop the act, �since it was precipitated by the Federal Government.”
The NDVF leader said it was the responsibility of the Federal Government to take appropriate measures to stop the trend.
He, however, said he had been rallying the various militant groups in the Niger Delta to find a lasting solution to commercial hostage taking and forge a common front for advancement of the region�s struggle.
Speaking at a reception held in his honour by Niger Deltans in Lagos, he said he had spoken to leaders of some Niger Delta militant groups including Ateke Tom and that soon a meeting would be held to fashion out a way forward for the region.
He also solicited support for Vice President Goodluck Jonathan whom he described as �a good man,� adding that Jonathan�s emergence as the nation�s Vice President had put a �K-leg� in the Niger Delta Struggle.
�On the issue of hostage-taking, I want to condemn it in all its ramifications. It is not because anybody asked me to condemn it. You cannot claim to be doing justice when you are doing injustice to another person. The people who came to work in the Niger Delta were brought by an unjust law,� he said, adding: �When you catch people and you confine them and you ask for money not for the struggle, it is sinful. If it is for the struggle, it is a different matter.�
He also asked for the release of MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, saying his (Dokubo�s) freedom would not be complete without the release of Uwazurike.
Dokubo, accompanied by his lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, also reiterated his position that former President Olusegun Obasanjo be prosecuted for his evil deeds while in power. He insisted that the former President must be made to account for all monies made during his eight-year administration, adding that the nation has not felt the impact of huge sums of money made during Obasanjo�s administration.
Coordinator of Ijaw Monitoring Group, organisers of the reception, Mr Joseph Evah, said Dokubo was in Lagos to thank the press, the civil society and the Niger Delta people for their role in ensuring that he regained his freedom. He said the struggle in the region had just begun.
Speakers at the reception included Comrade Ayodele Akele, Festus Keyamo, representatives of the Arewa Youths Forum, Oodua People�s Congress, MASSOB, Northern Friends of the Niger Delta, among others.
On what he was expecting from the Yar�Adua�s government, Dokubo said the only solution to the problems of Nigeria was the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference, adding that Nigerians were ready to dialogue on the future of the country.
According to him, the leadership of the country had always shied away from dialogue because many want the status quo of oppression and suppression to continue.