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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
Facts are beginning to emerge as to why Tukur Mamu, publisher of Desert Herald and self-acclaimed Kaduna train hostage negotiator was arrested by the Department of State Security (DSS).
After the terrorists’ attack on the Abuja-Kaduna bound train on March 28, 2022, he had acted as a go-between for the government, the terrorists, the victims and their families. But his sudden interest in the matter was viewed with some suspicion among the security agencies. On several occasions, he announced to the public his meetings with the terrorists and their demands to set their abductees free.
Some of the terrorists’ demands included their demand to release their members being held by government at Kuje Prison. But while negotiations were on, they attacked the prison and released over 800 inmates including their members held at the facility. With the attack, the government became even more suspicious of Mamu and intensified investigations on him.
Specifically, the military and other security agencies set up a board of enquiries comprising personnel drawn from the armed forces, police, DSS, NIA (National Intelligence Agency), DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency) to x-ray his activities in order to see whether they could establish his connection with the terrorists. The board, according to Saturday Sun investigations, tried to unravel, among other things, how the ransom by the relatives of the captives were paid, who took the ransom to the terrorists and how much they collected vis-a-vis the amount claimed by their relatives in the public.
While these were on, a video surfaced, of terrorists flogging their victims and threatening to kill them if they did not pay the ransom being demanded. The pictures published by most newspapers and the video aired by virtually all the television stations in the country was said to have angered the military and other security agencies. It was believed that the decision to air the video and publish the pictures was taken by Mamu to discredit the works of the security agencies. It was while these investigations were on, that he decided to jet out on a lesser Hajj to Saudi Arabia with his family.
He was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday for allegedly collecting N2 billion from families of victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack and taking the money to terrorists enclaves in exchange for the kidnapped victims. In a public statement issued by Peter Afunaya, on behalf of DSS, the service noted that he was intercepted by INTERPOL in Cairo, Egypt on 6th September, 2022. He was returned to the country on 7th September, 2022 and taken into the service’s custody.
The statement partly read: “The act followed a request by Nigeria’s military, law enforcement and intelligence community to their foreign partners to bring back Manu to the country to answer critical questions on the ongoing investigations relating to some security matters in parts of the country. The public may wish to note that the law will appropriately take its course.”
Sources said that the security agency is interested in knowing from him some details about the ransom transactions. They include answers to questions like: Who facilitated the payment of ransoms? Who collected them from him? Mamu who is said to be cooperating with DSS has continued to insist on his innocence. But a top security officer who does not want his name in print, said: “We will carry out our investigations and get to the bottom of this. And if he is found innocent, we will set him free. But so far we have made some breakthrough with his arrest and recovery of valuable evidence to aid our prosecution.”
Mamu, also the media consultant to Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, the Islamic cleric, scholar and a retired army officer, was arrested three days ago and deported to Nigeria. Before his arrest and deportation, he had been at loggerheads with the security agencies over his alleged controversial publications. On several occasions, his media outfit located at Unguwar Sarki, area of Kaduna State, had been raided by security operatives. An indigene of Yobe State, and a traditional title-holder of Dan Iyan Fika, Mamu, is married to four wives and blessed with ten children.
He was on his way to Saudi Arabia to perform lesser Hajj, alongside his wives, son and brother when he was arrested by INTERPOL, in Egypt, and flown back to Nigeria through the Aminu Kano International Airport. It was from there that he was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). They later brought him to Abuja.
