Former militant leader Mujahid Dokubo Asari has said that the insecurity problems in the country would be well taken care of if President Goodluck Jonathan acts fast and sacks his service and security chiefs, saying that he senses corruption in many ramifications as underlying the not-too-impressive war against insurgency.

Last March, Jonathan, the President appointed Aliyu Mohammed Gusau as the Defence Minister with a mandate to end the orgy of insurgency by the Boko Haram sect, the Fulani herdsmen and others.

He has had to appoint new service chiefs even as he gave all of them including the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, marching orders to rescue fellow Nigerians from the pangs of the insurgents.

Months after, Dokubo Asari alongside other worried public affairs commentators hold that the war against insurgency is not yielding desired results.

In an exclusive interview with Nigerian Pilot Saturday, Dokubo Asari declared that though it does not really bother him the amount of destruction Boko Haram causes in the north eastern part of the country, where their activities are very intense, inefficiency in the security services is far worse now before the coming of the current helmsmen in the services. “Sincerely, my brother, when an Ijaw was NSA, the insurgency was not up to this scale in its progression,” the former militant leader said.

Linking the development with the alleged plot by the North to stall Jonathan’s bid to seek a second term as President, Dokubo Asari said: “In Nigeria, the insurgency is that Goodluck is an Ijaw man. He is a southerner and must not rule. They are going to make the country ungovernable.

“So, they now apply Islamic sentiment which is nowhere. There is no compulsion in religion. That is what the Qur’an says; quoting from the Holy Book, which says; ‘To you is your faith and to me is my faith.’ ”

Continuing, Dokubo said: “Nobody can proclaim Islamic jihad on a multi-religious setting like Nigeria. My father has nine children and I am the only Muslim. When you proclaim Islamic jihad you expect me go to my house and start fighting my people while you have your own?

“When I have killed them, all you will do is to turn around to say I am Gambari born to rule. You are ruling Hausa, Nupe and Yoruba people who are Muslims like you and you refuse to give them power. Is it an Ijaw man that you have sent to kill his uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters and other relations?

“All that they are doing has nothing to do with Islam; it is politically aimed at seizing power. We are waiting for them, they are plotting and we are all plotting. What is happening now is unthinkable more than during the days of Azazi as NSA. For me the president should overhaul the nation’s security.”

Dokubo Asari added: “For the insurgency, for people like us they are helping us, without shooting one bullet they are busy shooting the bullet for us. They are busy fighting our cause, so let them go about doing it. Their demand of creating Islamic caliphate is okay; if the people accept, that is okay.

“That is not Goodluck’s business; it is mine. Why should we continue to allow people to die, for what purpose? Nigeria is not sacrosanct. The Soviet Union dissolved; Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, amongst others did; let us dissolve Nigeria; we are not the same. Nigeria cannot survive, so, for me I say kudos to Shekau.

“You are doing my duty. He is doing what I am supposed to do. I am relaxed. Let them be doing it, let the army be running. Everything that is happening is to my own good; it is to the good of my people because we have less people to fight when the time comes.”

•Text courtesy of Nigerian Pilot Saturday. Photo shows Dokubo.

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