The Presidency has denied reports that it had dispatched a presidential jet to fly former militant and leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari, to Abuja, following his release by authorities in the Republic of Benin who had arrested him.
Special adviser to the President, Dr Reuben Abati, told State House correspondents in Abuja that there was no truth in the claim which, he described as another attempt by mischief makers to play politics with facts.
“I can tell you that President Jonathan did not send any presidential jet to Benin Republic. Or has Asari-Dokubo told anybody that he was brought to Nigeria in a presidential jet? So what is this all about? Blackmail and mischief obviously.
He added that, “an aircraft is not a ghost in the air. The movement of any aircraft is properly documented and people will see the aircraft if it lands anywhere, particularly the presidential aircraft.
"Nobody can come up with any evidence that any presidential jet was sent to Benin Republic. I can tell you that President Jonathan did not send any presidential jet to Benin Republic. "There is no truth in the report that a presidential jet was used to convey Asari-Dokubo. Again, what we see here is the attempt by people to just tell lies and try to package lies as the truth for gullible Nigerians to believe.
“I have read some reports in which they said ‘unconfirmed reports indicate...’ Nobody has been able to say anything categorically and I think it is very sad that people, in an attempt to just play politics with anything at all, will start packaging lies hoping that gullible persons will believe them. Nobody can come up with any evidence that any presidential jet was sent to Benin Republic,” he said.
Dokubo was arrested on Tuesday in Benin Republic for unconfirmed reasons but was unexpectedly released yesterday.
However, Dokubo’s lawyer, Festus Keyamo, refused to comment on how his client was released and how he got back to Nigeria.
Dokubo is reported to own a university in Benin Republic and had promised to make the Francophone country his home.
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