A former governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, has been detained by the Department of State Services in Abuja.
Our correspondent gathered that the former governor was invited by the DSS on Tuesday.
It was not clear why Suswam, who is said to have senatorial ambition, was detained.
However, a source close to the ex-governor said his detention was connected to a petition submitted to the DSS by a politician from Benue.
The source said, “We learnt that a top politician sent a petition to the agency over an alleged crime in the state. It was based on this that he was said to have been invited.”
Another source added that the former governor was invited to clear his name on another issue different from the allegation by the said politician.
Efforts made by our correspondent to get official reaction to the detention of the former governor were not successful as none of the DSS officials was ready to speak on the matter.
Suswam had earlier been arrested last year, during which the DSS claimed that arms and ammunition and other items were recovered in some cars in a complex which it claimed belonged to the former governor.
A statement issued by the spokesman for the agency, Mr. Tony Opuiyo, said operatives raided the building at 44, Aguiyi Ironsi Way, Maitama, Abuja, and recovered keys of 45 exotic cars, 21 Certificates of Occupancy, arms and ammunition.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the arrest and detention of the former governor.
The PDP said there was no justification for the arrest of Suswam, which it said was politically motivated.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday that the arrest of Suswam was to prevent him from attending a political meeting scheduled to hold in the North-Central soon.
Ologbondiyan also alleged that the arrest was part of the plan by the Federal Government to clamp down on members of the opposition party.
He said, “The wicked clampdown has started. Only yesterday (Wednesday), we were made aware of the arrest and detention of former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, who has been kept incommunicado without access to his lawyers, while the Federal Government is not forthcoming with the details of the reasons behind the arrest and detention.
“However, we know that his arrest and detention is intended to put him out of circulation so that he will not take part in the mega meetings of our party planned for the North-Central states.
“There are already fears that other opposition leaders and dissenting voices have been placed under watch and will be dragged in and framed up on security charges, so as to keep them out of circulation ahead of the elections.”
Ologbondiyan said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo had earlier raised the alarm over alleged plans by the Federal Government to frame him.
He said, “Nigerians are already aware of the alarm raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of alleged plots by the Buhari administration to frame, arrest and detain him indefinitely on trumped-up charges, ostensibly following his criticisms and open rejection of the administration for its failures and manifest misrule.
“The world is also aware of the numerous alleged plots by the Federal Government to frame up and humiliate Senate President Bukola Saraki, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu; Senators Dino Melaye and Shehu Sani, as well as Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his Ekiti State counterpart, Governor Ayo Fayose.
“Also, there are concerns about the safety of former Chief of Army Staff and former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), following the fear expressed by Wike that Danjuma’s life might be in danger after his comments in March, this year, on possible complicity of the state in the killings in Taraba State.”
Ologbondiyan alleged further that on Wednesday, an explosive device was discovered at the Ebonyi State PDP secretariat, which he said was either planted to blow up the secretariat and kill PDP members or to set up party leaders.
“These attacks, threats and intimidation targeted at influential Nigerians, particularly past leaders, show clearly that the Buhari Presidency is very scared of its inevitable defeat in the 2019 general elections and now seek to apply all machinations to overheat the polity and ostensibly frustrate the process,” he said.
