Former Niger Delta warlord leader, Asari Dokubo, has issued a fiery warning amid Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, declaring that he will personally confront any bandits or insurgents who attempt to infiltrate the capital city of Nigeria’s oil-rich Rivers State – Port Harcourt.

In a trending video shared on social media, Dokubo reacted to the wave of kidnappings, killings, and attacks across several states, saying the terrorist better not think of coming to his city.

He says, then his “only business” would be to eliminate them.

His words were blunt and uncompromising: “If Boko Haram comes to Port Harcourt, they know my business is to kill them. What I’m saying is raw. If you come to fight me, I will kill you. If you come to fight me because I am a Muslim, I will kill you. No compromise.”

Dokubo’s remarks come at a time when Nigeria faces mounting insecurity, with bandit groups expanding their reach beyond the northern states and pushing into central regions.

His warning reflects growing frustration among citizens who feel vulnerable despite repeated government assurances of improved security.

Rising Tensions and Local Vigilance

Port Harcourt has long been a strategic city for both the economy and national security. Dokubo’s declaration underscores the gravity of the situation, and fear that insurgent violence could destabilize the Niger Delta, a region already marked by past militancy and economic fragility.

It’s vast resources of oil and gas deposits could make it a place of interest to both hostile and friendly forces.

While the federal government continues to deploy military assets against bandits and Boko Haram, Dokubo’s vow could be signaling a broader citizens and community’s led preparedness to confront the raging scourge of Islamist terror.

While Dokubo himself is a Muslim in a vastly majority Christian region, his position may help reveal that while the terrorist may present a Jihadist face, their end-game objectives may well go beyond just religion.