Coup: Tinubu afraid of army – Asari Dokubo

Former militant leader Asari Dokubo has reiterated his claims that members of the Nigerian Army are deeply involved in oil bunkering in the Niger Delta.

Asari stated that President Bola Tinubu instructed him to address the media on the matter, accusing soldiers of being at the center of oil theft in the region.

In June, following a meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Asari had claimed that most cases of oil theft in the Niger Delta were linked to the Nigerian Army and Navy.

Speaking to the press, he said, “The military is at the center of oil theft… 99 percent of oil theft can be traced to the Nigerian military, especially the Army and the Navy.”

In a recent video, Asari distanced local ethnic groups in the Niger Delta, such as the Ijaw, Ikwerre, and Ogoni, from involvement in oil bunkering, instead pointing to the military as the masterminds.

He alleged that military personnel fund the operations and pay local youths only a fraction of the profits.

“Everybody knows it, but because we are afraid of a coup, they are keeping quiet,” Asari stated, suggesting that fear of military reprisal has kept many from speaking out about the issue.