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The Defence Headquarters has challenged former militant leader, Asari Dokubo, to come to the battlefield to witness the power of the military.
This is coming days after Dokubo threatened to shoot down two military helicopters hovering over his house amid the controversial local government election in Rivers State.
In a video circulating on X on Saturday, October 5, 2024, the ex-militant leader boasted he could contain the Nigerian military.
Dokubo while reacting to the political crisis in Rivers and the deployment of police to the state ahead of the election boisterously vowed to contain the military.
The military fires back
In response to his threats, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, dared the ex-militant to come to the battlefield to take on the military.
Buba said the ex-militant leader would be neutralised if he showed up on the battlefield.
He said, “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.
Buba said he would leave the matter to the appropriate security forces to handle, stressing that Dokubo cannot carry out his threats against the military.
“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,” he said.
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He maintained that the military’s primary focus is on terrorists operating in various theatres of operation, adding that troops are making significant progress in the fight against terrorism and banditry.