From MOLLY KILETE, Abuja

There was controversy over the arrest of former Federal Capital Territory(FCT), minister, Malam Nasir el-Rufal, by the Department of State Security Service(SSS). The SSS, had on Wednesday, invited the former minister to its headquarters over his alleged inciting statement ahead of the 2015 general elections.

But El-Rufai through his media aide said he would not honour the invitation as he had a pending legal matter with the Service over the Anambra elections.

Saturday Sun gathered that men from the SSS however stormed the ex-minister’s home in Abuja yesterday after he failed to show up in their office.

The security operatives who went to the house were initially prevented from gaining access to the compound because the gates were already locked with padlocks by security guards in the compound.

Angered by the action of the private guards, the security operatives, tried to force their way into the compound but later changed their minds with a promise to come back.

As at the time of filing this report, the SSS operatives were yet to return to the house and there is no official reaction from the Service.

The SSS had on Thursday warned politicians who are in the habit of making provocative statement to deist from such or have themselves to blame.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned the alleged harassment of its Deputy National Secretary, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, by the Department of State Security (DSS), describing as a shameful overkill the storming of his residence in Abuja by armed DSS operatives on Friday, without producing any arrest warrant.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party expressed shock that the DSS was seeking to arrest El-Rufai for merely exercising his constitutional right of free speech.

It said there was nothing inciting or extraordinary in the statement credited to Malam El-Rufai that there might be violence if the 2015 general elections were not free and fair.

It wondered why the DSS has suddenly found its agility, after playing dead when people like Chief Edwin Clark, Asari Dokubo and Chukwuemeka Ezeife issued a direct threat to Nigeria’s continued existence over President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term ambition.

Also reacting to the incident, former Aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode condemned the invasion of el-Rufai’s home.

“As far as I am concerned he is simply stating the obvious. It is only those that are planning to rig that have a problem with this bitter truth. Nasir was simply counselling them about the natural consequences of their intended criminal actions yet the government appears to be hell bent on charting the course of oppression, intimidation and the supression of human rights, including the right to the freedom of speech.


Source: Sun