During a meeting with Tinubu, Dokubo expressed his belief that releasing Kanu would be tantamount to rewarding criminal behavior in the Southeast. He stated, "Releasing Nnamdi Kanu is rewarding criminality and rewarding gruesome murder of innocent people. He should face the law for the actions and instigations he has carried out."
MASSOB leader Uchenna Madu condemned Dokubo's remarks, describing them as the "ranting of a frustrated criminal." Madu expressed his disappointment in Dokubo, accusing him of betraying the cause and selling his conscience for personal gain from the federal government, against which he had previously fought and caused the deaths of numerous military and security personnel.
Madu emphasised that it is Dokubo, not Kanu, who should be held accountable for criminal activities. He questioned how someone in illegal possession of general-purpose machine guns and hundreds of AK-47 rifles could label a person without even a catapult as a criminal. Madu also reminded Dokubo of the destruction and vandalism of petroleum pipelines perpetrated by him and his militant cohorts in the name of self-determination for the Ijaw people.
MASSOB dismissed Dokubo's call for Tinubu to withhold the release of Kanu, viewing it as an exposure of Dokubo's true character and urging the public to disregard him. According to the statement, "Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a criminal or an inconsequential saboteur like the Moslem perpetual slave called Alhaji Dokubo Asari."
The exchange of words between MASSOB and Dokubo highlights the deep divisions and conflicting perspectives within the pro-Biafra movement. While MASSOB stands firmly behind Nnamdi Kanu and considers him a champion of their cause, they view Asari Dokubo's recent statements as a betrayal and an attempt to undermine the struggle for the actualization of Biafra. The rift underscores the complexities and divergent viewpoints within the movement as it continues to push for self-determination and secession from Nigeria.