How DSS arrested my son, Ganduje’s aide —Tanko Yakasai opens up

Abdullahi HammedFebruary 27, 2021

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One of the founding members of the Arewa Consultative Forum and elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has narrated how his son, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, was arrested by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Media, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, had criticised President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday over the spate of school children abductions in the country.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Saturday, the father of the governor’s aide said his son was arrested on Friday on his way to a barbing saloon in Kano, the state capital.

When asked of his son’s whereabouts, the Elder Tanko Yakasai said, “Yes, Salihu is with the security operatives since yesterday (Friday). He was arrested on his way to a barbing saloon. But I cannot confirm to you whether he is here in Kano or somewhere else.”

Confirming his arrest, one of Ganduje’s aides on Twitter, @sadeqhenry, tweeted, “Alhamdulillah, we just confirmed @dawisu is at DSS office.

Recall that the arrested aide had called on the Buhari-led regime to either deal with bandits in the country or resign.

Ganduje’s spokesman spoke on Friday while reacting to students’ abduction at Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

According to him, the fact that the development comes about a week after bandits also abducted some schoolboys in Kagara, Niger State, shows that the government has failed its primary responsibility.

He said the All Progressives Congress-led government had failed Nigerians, noting that it cannot continue to lament when tragedy occurs without taking any action to prevent a repeat.

He wrote on Twitter: “Clearly, we as APC government, at all levels, have failed Nigerians in the number 1 duty we were elected to do which is to secure lives & properties. Not a single day goes by without some insecurity in this land. This is a shame! Deal with terrorists decisively or resign.

“Each time another tragedy happens, we lament, condemn, create a hashtag, the govt pretends to do something, no concrete steps to prevent reoccurrence, and then we repeat the process. To what end? Where are those saddled with the responsibility?

“Just last week, it was #freekagaraboys, today we have a new hashtag, #RescueJangebeGirls; who knows tomorrow what hashtag we will come up with? Perhaps one for ourselves when we get caught up in one of these daring attacks. This is sad & heartbreaking; I feel helpless & hopeless.”

The embattled media aide was sometimes in 2020 suspended from office for several weeks after criticising Buhari over his failure to tackle the country’s security challenges.