Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
There is a clear indication that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) of the Nigerian Army is not really happy with the former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo over his recent comment against them.
Truth Live News reports that due to his outburst, the DHQ has challenged him (Dokubo) to come to the battlefield if wants to witness the capabilities of the Nigerian armed forces.
Recall that the ex-militant, on October, 5, threatened to shoot down a military helicopter, which he claimed had been hovering over his residence. He boasted that he could contain the Nigerian military.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, who made this known while answering journalists’ questions at a media briefing, dared Dokubo, to enter the battlefield and see whether he could indeed contend with the capabilities of the military.
He said the former militant leader would be neutralised if he showed up on the battlefield, and he called upon the relevant security agency to address the matter.
“Now, to comment that he can shoot down military helicopters is laughable, and I am tempted to laugh about that. We are in a democracy, and we are professional;
“We cannot simply act on someone’s comments without due consideration, lest we be accused of being undemocratic.
“The military is not the only security agency or department in the country. Other security forces have a constitutional role to play in addressing these issues.
“I assure you that he does not possess that capability, but I will leave it to the appropriate security forces to handle the matter. Our mandate is to confront him on the battlefield and take him out. He should come to the battlefield and see whether we can react or not”, Buba said.
Gen. Buba, while maintaining that the military’s major focus is on terrorists operating in various theatres of operation, said, “Our enemy is the terrorists. While some may choose to label them differently depending on the region, in the northwest and northeast, some refer to them as bandits.
“I tell you, they are all terrorists. We must label them for what they are. “Troops are making significant progress; as I mentioned, we prioritise targeting terrorist leadership, and we have successfully eliminated over 300 terrorist commanders in the last three quarters, not to mention their foot soldiers.
“Our aim is to diminish their fighting capabilities and to damage their military potential, which we have been achieving. As indicated in the brief you have just received, you can see the number of weapons and ammunition we have recovered”, Gen. Buba added.