Press Release:TIME TO SET DOKUBO FREE 25th May 2007

The Federal Government on Wednesday sought court permission to try Asari Dokubo in camera. We of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) are alarmed at the implications if this application is granted.

First and foremost, it is an attempt to erode the independence of the judiciary because manipulations will be easier if people are tried in secret. Secondly, a secret trial cannot guarantee fair hearing as the press, the fourth estate of the realm and the bulwark of democracy and good governance, will certainly be excluded. Thirdly, trying Asari Dokubo behind closed doors will set a dangerous precedent and endanger our nascent democracy. Fourthly, such an attempt will be the mother of all provocations for the militants in the Delta region and render all peace initiatives mere exercises in futility.

Instead of trying Dokubo in secret, MURIC advises the outgoing president, General  Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd), to set Dokubo free as a parting gift to people in the Delta region. Obasanjo should remember that the region was not as volatile as this before he came into office. The increasing violence in the Delta today can be attributed to the same five evil things of which Chamberlain had spoken: brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression and persecution.

MURIC rejects the terrorist theory and nomenclature for the freedom fighters in the Delta. These are people whose land and water have all been destroyed. It can be traced to the cause-effect theory. Violence or terrorism is mere smoke. Something caused the smoke because there can never be any smoke without fire. What was the fire that caused the smoke in the Delta Region? We all know it: carefree exploitation of oil resources in the region without consideration for environmental rules. The Delta people have been dehumanized and traumatized. But instead of seeking palliatives, their leader was whisked into jail.

In the interest of lasting peace, MURIC appeals to Obasanjo to manifest magnanimity and spirit of forgiveness within his last three days in office. This he can do by setting Asari Dokubo free.

Dr. Is-haq Akintola
DIRECTOR