Alhaji Umar Muhammad, a community leader at Tungan Mai-Iddo village in Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State was arrested in August 2021 for “paying ransom to bandits” and also “hoarding information” about the terrorists. But the Abubakar Sani Bello-led administration committed a similar offence when he “paid over N67 ransom” to free Mohammed Idris, former Commissioner of Information in the state.
The community leader, otherwise known as Farin Maza, was arrested by Nigerian secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS) after he paid ransom to secure the freedom of his kidnapped brother. He has since been kept in the secret police’s custody without access to his family.
The DSS had filed a one-count charge on February 6, 2023, accusing Farin Maza of hoarding information on kidnappers and paying ransom to the said kidnappers who had kidnapped his brother.
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However, Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the community leader. In writs dated June 27 and March 30, the court ruled that the suspect be released immediately. The counsel to Farin Maza, Marshal Abubakar, a human rights lawyer said DSS was yet to comply with the order.
Abubakar of the Falana and Falana Chambers who took up the case pro bono, had earlier asked the court to release his client, contending that Farin Maza did not commit the offence as alleged by the secret police.
FORMER ADMINISTRATION OF NIGER STATE GOVT PAID 0VER N67 MILLION TO BANDITS
The Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) had exclusively reported that the then administration of Niger State Government secretly paid N67 million to one of the three bandit groups who kidnapped Muhammed Sanni Idris, the former Commissioner for Information, before he was released.
Idris was abducted in his home in Baban Tunga, Tafa LGA on August 9, 2021. A few hours after his abduction, the terrorists demanded N500 million from his family. It was later reduced to N180 million. His family member claimed the commissioner was released without paying ransom.
After spending four days with his abductors, Idris was released on August 12. Abubakar Sani Bello, the then governor of the state, had rejected ransom option during several meetings held on the commissioner’s abduction. Bello’s administration had ruled out ransom payment during heated negotiations to rescue scores of kidnapped students of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State, in 2021.
While refuting FIJ’s report, the former Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Internal Security Affairs, Emmanuel Umar, said the commissioner was released after joint security mounted pressure on the bandits.
But a 34-year-old bandit leader in terrorising Niger State and other neighbouring states, Apabakura Dan-Makaranta, told FIJ the government paid ransom to free the former commissioner.
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“Of course, the government paid. They paid more than N67 million. We were three groups involved in the commissioner’s abduction, and when he would be released, N67 million was paid to our group. I can’t say what they paid the leaders of the other groups.
“The people who brought the money told us in a forest around Kagara that it was from the state governor, but they begged us to keep it a secret.”
WikkiTimes contacted Peter Afunanya, spokesman for DSS, asking why the agency is treating differently the case of the Niger State community leader. The secret police spokesman is yet to respond to our enquiry.
