Militia leader charged with treason, risks life imprisonment

An influential separatist militia leader from Nigeria’s volatile oil-rich Delta region faces life in jail after being charged with treason on Thursday following comments made in a newspaper interview. As Moujahid Dokubo-Asari heard the charges, hundreds of his supporters massed outside the court in the capital Abuja, demanding the release of the leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF). Dokubo-Asari, who was arrested more than two weeks ago for the comments calling for the break-up of Nigeria, appeared in court to hear charges including conspiracy, unlawful assembly and “treasonable felony” read to him before presiding judge Babs Akinwumi. He pleaded not guilty but will remain in custody until 10 November, the date set by the court for continuation of the trial. Under Nigerian law treasonable felony is punished by life imprisonment as it is considered a lesser charge to outright treason, a capital offence. In court, Dokubo-Asari said “We shall be free. My people must be free,” as he unveiled a black t-shirt carrying the name of Isaac Boro, a Delta militant who mounted a short-lived armed campaign in 1966 for an independent Niger Delta Republic. Outside, police dispersed hundreds of supporters waving placards and banners calling for his release and arrested several. A police officer said they would be charged for public order offences.

Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, Ijaw militia leader, in the Niger Delta village of Okoronta, July 2004

Dokubo-Asari, a self-styled revolutionary whom authorities dismiss as a gangster, was arrested on 20 September in the oil industry hub of Port Harcourt. Police said the arrest was in connection with comments he made in a recent newspaper interview about fighting for the disintegration of Nigeria. Justice Minister Bayo Ojo afterwards told reporters he would face treason charges. The militia leader appeared in court briefly two days after his arrest and was ordered by a judge to remain in custody pending formal charges. Dokubo-Asari's supporters in the restive Niger Delta, which accounts for nearly all of Nigeria’s 2.5 million barrels of oil a day, at the time threatened to unleash "grave mayhem" to protest his detention. Two oil facilities run by Chevron were briefly shut down by armed militia members, but reopened after President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government sent in more troops and the NDPVF withdrew its threats. Last year threats by Dokubo-Asari to target the oil industry helped send world oil prices to record levels. Militia members fought gun battles with troops and major violence was avoided only after the NDPVF leader met with Obasanjo and struck a disarmament deal, handing in hundreds of weapons in exchange for cash and amnesty. The Ijaws, the dominant ethnic group in the Niger Delta region, view Dokubo-Asari as a hero for wanting greater control by residents over the oil profits as well as a bigger share of the wealth to improve access to basic services such as water and power. Most of the delta's inhabitants live in extreme poverty, resentful of the billions of dollars generated on their doorstep which go to the Nigerian government and international oil companies.