Asari Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Force (NDPSF), says if given permission, he will invade Niger Republic with his private army and restore democracy to the country.
On July 26, President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed from office in a coup led by Abdourahamane Tchiani, commander of the Nigerien presidential guard.
The coupists have since defied a deadline to return power to Bazoum as issued by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), amid threats of military intervention by the regional body.
Dokubo has said he has the manpower to defeat the Niger military and return victorious.
In a viral video, Dokubo said he is capable of overrunning Niger Republic with his army if permitted to do so by Nigeria’s federal government.
“If the government commissions me and my people to go to Niger Republic, we will go. We will defeat them and we will come back victorious. It is not a boast,” he said.
“If Benin republic likes, let them go and bring anybody, they are human beings like us. We will go there, defeat them and restore democratic order.”
ECOWAS has just finished a meeting in Abuja aimed at restoring democracy to Niger Republic through dialogue and diplomacy.
