SSS arrests NPLF secretary

The Secretary of the Northern Leaders Political Forum, Mallam Bello Abdulkadir, has been arrested by the operatives of the State Security Service.

Also arrested was a worker of the Forum, Mr. Farouk Bibi Farouk, who was the immediate National Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party and a member of the Forum’s National Working Committee.

The NPLF is led by a former Minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, which is still in discussion with President Goodluck Jonathan on how to work together to ensure the success of the President in the forthcoming election.

Abdulkadir was said to have been arrested on Wednesday morning in Abuja when he was accosted by operatives of the SSS. But he was said to have insisted on being accompanied by a lawyer, which he quickly arranged.

It was gathered that Abdulkadir was taken to the Yellow House, the headquarters of the SSS in Asokoro, Abuja.

At about 10pm on Wednesday night when it was clear that Abdulkadir would not be allowed to go home, operatives of the SSS were said to have handed over his telephone sets to his lawyer who had followed him to the SSS office.

But his lawyers were said to be trying to file a bail application on behalf of Abdulkadir in line with constitutional provision that a citizen should not be kept in detention for more than 24 hours without being charged to court.

Our correspondent learnt that the arrest of the NPFL secretary might throw spanner into the Jonathan-NPLF talks.

The President had early last month met with the Ciroma group at the Abuja residence of the former finance minister, signalling the beginning of a rapprochement between the leaders of the NPLF and Jonathan.

But the SSS said the arrest of Abdulkadir had nothing to do with his position as the secretary of the NPFL.

The spokesperson for the organisation, Ms. Marylyn Ogar, who stated this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, said the SSS would not be intimidated to abandon its duties.

She said the service was carrying out an investigation and that it would not abandon it just because of politics.

She said, “We are carrying out our investigation and we do not even know whether he is a secretary of any organisation or not. We are doing our job.

“We will not succumb to blackmail and I can tell you that his arrest has nothing to do with whether he is a secretary of any organisation or not. We did not arrest him because he is a secretary of any organisation.”