Why Asari Dokubo Hasn't Been Taken Into Custody Despite His Threats to Shoot Down Military Helicopters - DHQ

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has provided an explanation regarding its inaction towards former militant leader Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, who purportedly threatened to shoot down military helicopters near his home. During a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, characterized Dokubo's threat as absurd, emphasizing that Nigeria operates within a democratic framework, and that pursuing action against him would undermine the military's democratic principles. He elaborated that "other security agencies have constitutional responsibilities in addressing such matters," indicating that it is not solely the military's role, and he challenged Dokubo to engage with soldiers in a combat situation if he possesses the courage to do so. In Buba's remarks: "The assertion made by an individual claiming he can shoot down military helicopters is indeed laughable, and I find it amusing. We are functioning within a democracy, and we maintain professionalism. We cannot simply act on someone's statements without facing accusations of undemocratic behavior. "The military is not the sole security entity in the nation. There are various security agencies designated by the constitution to manage such situations. "I assure you that he lacks the capability to follow through on his threats, but I will defer to the appropriate security forces to address this matter. As for us, we invite him to the battlefield, where we can demonstrate our response capabilities. He should come to the battlefield and witness our actions firsthand. "Our primary adversaries are terrorists. While some may refer to them by different names in various operational contexts, such as bandits in the North-West and North-East, they are all terrorists in our view. Our troops are making substantial advancements. As previously mentioned, we focus on dismantling terrorist leadership, and we have successfully eliminated over 300 terrorist commanders in the past three quarters alone." Our objective is to reduce their combat effectiveness and impair their military strength, a goal we have been achieving successfully. The brief you received outlines the quantity of weapons and ammunition we have seized. Our operations have significantly diminished the operational capacity of these terrorist organizations and their leadership. For example, a prominent terrorist leader in Jigawa State, known as Mai Hijabi, was eliminated in the past week. Consequently, our troops are making notable progress across all operational fronts. In the past week, our forces neutralized 165 terrorists, apprehended 238 individuals, and rescued 188 victims of kidnapping. In the Niger Delta region, our troops uncovered and dismantled two dugout pits, 58 boats, and 39 storage tanks. Additional recoveries included 13 cooking ovens, 35 drums, one motorcycle, one tricycle, four speed boats, 13 vehicles, and 65 illegal refining sites. Furthermore, troops seized 789,200 liters of stolen crude oil and 64,950 liters of unlawfully refined AGO.