‘I Found Peace in Islam’— Dokubo-Asari Speaks On Conversion, Faith, Discipline

On the final day of Ramadan, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, Amanyanabo of Elem Kalabari (The Source), spoke to reporters about his conversion to Islam, the intellectual journey that led him to it, and the discipline that continues to shape his life.

The monarch, also known as Da Amakiri Tubo, spoke with unusual depth, tracing his spiritual evolution over decades, across cultures and ideologies.

“I found peace in Islam,” he said.

Dokubo-Asari revealed he was born into a strongly Christian environment, influenced by both his family history and upbringing. “I was born into an overtly Christian environment. My grandmother, Da Amakiri Tubo, Okukuba Wilkinson Dokubo Goodhead (née Ogo Tom Princewill), with whom I lived, had a prayer altar where we prayed every morning.”

He described her as a devout Anglican, deeply committed to Kalabari Teke worship traditions.

“She was a member of St Michael’s Church and also belonged to Akasabianga Teke. Later, when the prophetess broke away and founded Elijah Teke in Jack-Rich compound, she moved. Sometimes she even went to Obuama to attend Dee Teke.”

According to him, religious activity was constant. “Every day involved some religious event or other… we had morning devotion and sang meaningful Teke songs.”

His grandfather, though deceased before his birth, was also an Anglican catechist.

Active in Church, Yet Restless

Despite his deep involvement in Christianity, Dokubo-Asari said he felt more drawn to the Baptist Church than to Anglicanism. “I don’t recall ever attending Anglican Church on a Sunday while growing up.” He became actively involved – participating in youth programmes and rising to become a Sunday school teacher. “Many people in the Baptist Church today passed through my tutelage. Rev. Dr. Damiete Amachree of Agape Baptist Church, Obuama, was one of my students.” He also attended Deeper Life Bible Church and became President of the Students Christian Movement at Baptist High School, Port Harcourt. Yet, he said, something was missing. “I was very active… but I felt empty.”

A Defining Global Event — September 1982

He identified the Sabra and Shatila massacre of 16–18 September 1982, during the Lebanon War involving forces linked to Israeli General Ariel Sharon, as a turning point. “That was when I began to question my Christian faith.” He said he wrote directly to Pastor William Kumuyi, founder of Deeper Life Bible Church. “I asked him: ‘If God created all of us, why would He favour one group over another?’”

According to him, that question marked the beginning of his gradual disengagement from Christianity.

Search, Philosophy, and Early Contact with Islam

In the years that followed, Dokubo-Asari explored different paths, including an early visit in 1982 to a mosque on Victoria Street, Port Harcourt. “I met Alhaji Jimoh, but his understanding of Islam wasn’t profound… so I didn’t convert.” Instead, he developed what he called Godianism. “I said God is One and has no partner.”

He later reflected that this idea closely aligned with Islamic Unitarian beliefs.

University Years and Continued Restlessness

At the University of Calabar, he returned to the Baptist fold and became prominent within the Baptist Students Fellowship. “I became very popular… but I was restless. I wasn’t satisfied.”

He also joined the Movement for a Progressive Nigeria (MPN), a Marxist-Leninist student organisation. “Marxism didn’t give me spiritual satisfaction.”

He cited the Iranian Revolution as a major influence that pushed him towards a deeper study of Islam. “I started going to the library, reading Orientalist perspectives and balancing them with what Islam teaches.”

Due to limited Islamic literature, he sourced books from roadside vendors and studied texts like the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Dokubo-Asari said his search ended on 17 September 1988, when he embraced Islam at the Bokobiri Mosque in Calabar.

“I accepted Islam… and after I recited the Shahada, my life became more organised.”

He noted that the decision had consequences, including his rustication from school.

Following his conversion, he travelled extensively across Nigeria, living in mosques under harsh conditions. “From living in GRA in Port Harcourt to sleeping in very poor conditions… moving from one mosque to another.”

“I discovered I was finding satisfaction in my heart.” Today, he said Islam shapes his approach to leadership and justice in the Edi Abali group of War Canoe Houses in Buguma. “Court cases in my compound have dropped to almost zero.”

He added that practices such as cultism, drunkenness, and violence have significantly declined.

Dokubo-Asari described Muhammad as his central role model.

“Everything about the life of the Holy Prophet Mohammed resonates with me… that is what I want to emulate.”

He also cited key Islamic scholars, including Al-Ghazali, Sayyid Qutb, Hassan al-Banna, and Abul A’la Maududi, as major intellectual influences.

On religious coexistence, he made a striking observation: “Non-Muslims have helped me far more than Muslims.”

He argued that religious tensions in Nigeria are often exaggerated and don’t reflect everyday realities.

He urged young Muslims to prioritise education, skills, and self-reliance. “When you are poor and struggling, your faith won’t last… acquire skills and stand on your own two feet.”

Summing up, Dokubo-Asari said Islam has given him clarity and confidence. “It gives me the strength to stand before any man and say: you are a man, I am a man.” He added: “Islam has given me peace… I am a Muslim, I am an Islamist, I am a jihadist, and I make no apologies.”

For the Kalabari monarch, faith is not symbolic – it is foundational, shaping his identity, leadership, and worldview in a way that remains both firm and unapologetic.