After six hours of interrogation, the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Muhajid Dokubo-Asari, was on Thursday released by the Department of State Security.
Dokubo-Asari, who arrived at the headquarters of the DSS in Abuja at 10am on Thursday, was allowed to go home at 4pm.
He was at the DSS headquarters with his a lawyer from the Festus Keyamo chambers; a former chairman of Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, Chief Aroloyeteim Brown; some chiefs from the Niger Delta; and a number of the members of the NDPVF.
However, only the lawyer and Brown were allowed into the DSS premises with Dokubo-Asari.
Security was beefed up at the DSS headquarters before the arrival of Dokubo-Asari.
However, as soon as he walked in, it was relaxed.
Speaking after his release, Dokubo-Asari said: “It was a routine question and answer on my interviews.
“I gave them my opinion and reason.
“I told them that it is wrong for some people to be treated as if they are above the law, as if they have the right to threaten others, make incisive comments and continue to intimidate people and get away with it.”
Asked if he signed any agreement with the security agency, Dokubo-Asari said: “I was not given any paper to sign.
“I only wrote my statement.”
On what he discussed with the operatives of the DSS and how he was treated, Dokubo-Asari said: “They (DSS) said they don’t want the polity to be heated up and that it is an appeal to all other people.
“They treated me well.
“I am a regular visitor to SSS.
“It was the usual treatment.
“My arrest has given us the opportunity to tell them (others) that they should stop making incisive comments and stop threatening others because if they do that now, they must be arrested.
“We will demand for their arrest.
“We are not afraid of arrest.
“We are used to suffering.
“They are not.
“They have been enjoying government money and patronage.
“We have not.
“We are used to being in the creek, swamp and forest.
“They’re not.
“We are used to mosquito bites.
“They’re not.”
Asked if he told to report periodically to the DSS, Dokubo-Asari said: “They told me that anytime they want me, they will call.”
The invitation and interrogation of Dokubo-Asari came after the Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, was also interrogated by the DSS over what was equally termed inciting statements.