NIGERIA: ASARI BELIEVES CONVERSION OF YOUTH TO

S E C R E T ABUJA 002632 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR INR/AA, AF/W DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/26/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINR NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ASARI BELIEVES CONVERSION OF YOUTH TO ISLAM IS ANSWER TO DELTA WOES REF: A. ABUJA 2616 ¶B. ABUJA 1276 ¶C. LAGOS 712 ¶D. ABUJA 1931 Classified By: A/Pol Counselor Heather Merritt for Reasons 1.4 (b, c, & d). ¶1. (S//NF) Maitama Sule (strictly protect) told PolOff on December 19 that Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF),has paid several visits to him in Kano since Asari's June 14 release from prison (Ref B). Former Nigerian ambassador to the United Nations (1979-1983),Sule is also a well-known confidant of President Umaru Yar'Adua and a useful contact to the Mission on a range of issues (Ref A). Asari was last in Kano in late November while en route to Saudi Arabia for the lesser pilgrimage. At that time, Sule informed, Asari appeared resigned and frustrated with the situation in the Niger Delta. Asari claimed the actions of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND),which he labeled as "criminal," were tarnishing the NDPVF's image and the "righteousness" of the NDPVF's cause. Asari alleged several politicians and traditional rulers in the Delta have been siphoning state and local government funds to finance militants to kidnap or "stage" kidnappings of foreign oil workers and Nigerian security personnel. (Comment: Asari has attempted to dissociate the actions of (what is conventionally referred to as) MEND and other Delta militant groups from the NDPVP's activities, in an effort to exorcise criminality from the Niger Delta struggle. This allegation corroborates clandestine reporting (Ref C). End Comment.) Asari continued that where the government is colluding with militants, "there will be no end to the mayhem." ¶2. (S//NF) Sule admonished Asari to "remain patient" and "seek an alternative to militancy." Asari responded that on account of widespread disenchantment with the lack of progress and indifference of the Nigerian government to the plight of the people of the Niger Delta, it is increasingly difficult to control the actions of Delta youth. Asari added since Christianity had been unable to "respond" to the needs of the youth in addressing the crisis, the only solution would be to "convert" the youth to Islam. Though Asari's children are enrolled in an Islamic seminary in Ibadan, Sule said that Asari plans to remain in Port Harcourt to work on converting Niger Delta youth to Islam. While Sule opined Asari was a "fanatical" Muslim, he cautioned that the "brand of Islam" Asari espoused was not/not militant or violent. (Note: In September 2005, Asari was arrested and charged with treason for attempting to overthrow then-President Obasanjo. On June 14, 2007, Asari was released following an Abuja High Court reversal of the Supreme Court's ruling that denied Asari bail for national security reasons (Ref B). President Yar'Adua may have had a hand in brokering Asari's release, as a means to pacify other Delta militants (Ref D). End Note.) ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Before his arrest in 2005, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari became an iconic figure for Ijaw militants in the Delta. Born in 1964 and an ethnic Ijaw, Asari converted to Islam after dropping out of law school at the University of Calabar (Cross Rivers State). Asari's statements may be more indicative of his deeply-held personal convictions and political objectives than an active, proselytizing campaign to "convert" the Delta's predominantly Christian youth to Islam. At the same time, the (once) influential Asari who reportedly continued to communicate with militants while in prison, may continue to retain some sway with youth and others. Post is not aware of any surge of interest in Islam among Niger Delta youth (approximately one percent of the Ijaw population is Muslim),however we will continue to look out for and report on any possible connections between Delta militancy and the North. END COMMENT. ¶4. (U) This cable has been cleared by Consulate Lagos. SANDERS