Asari Dokubo Profile

He had his primary and secondary education in Port Harcourt, after which he gained admission to study Law at the prestigious University of Calabar (UniCal) in Cross River State. He was later to drop out of the institution, citing problems with university authorities as his reason.

In an attempt to secure a university degree, he secured another admission at Rivers State University of Science and Technology, but once again quit for reasons similar to the once at UniCal.

Career and Activism

Asari Dokubo converted to Islam after dropping out of school and changed his name to Mujahid Dokubo-Asari to reflect the conversion.

In the 1990s, he got actively involved in politics and attempted running for two offices in Rivers State (1992 and 1998), but failed to secure either of the seats.

In 1998, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) was formed with the primary purpose of supporting the interests of the Ijaw ethnic group of the Niger Delta. Asari, as a founding member, was appointed to the vice-presidency of the organization.

In 2001, he became IYC's president and led the group to pursue an agenda of "Resource Control and Self Determination By Every Means Necessary".

By 2004, he created the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF), which would emerge as a major catalyst for unrest in the Delta region. The NDPVF, a militant group, was funded in large part by local and regional politicians who sought great profits from the region's oil revenue. The group also engaged in oil 'bunkering' and other illegal forms of local resource extraction.

Personal Life

Asari Dokubo is married to Boma Dokubo and has four children; Amirah, Hassan, Hussain and Osama. His first wife, Alhaja Zainab Asari Dokubo died in 2016 in a motor accident on her way to Ibadan.

In 2013, Asari became a citizen of the Benin Republic and moved his assets out of the Niger Delta, Nigeria and relocated to Cotonou, where he built several schools, colleges and a university for the school children and students in Cotonou.