Kassim: Babangida’s letter opened old wounds

Kassim Afegbua, the media aid to former military dictator, who has been declared wanted by the inspector general of police, arrived force headquarters to satisfy the force demand. He arrived with his lawyer after filing a case against the Inspector General of Police. This is in protest against what he descrbed as harassment and persecution by the Police over a statement he issued on behalf of his principal that the police considered critical of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Afegbua, in the suit marked FHC /ABJ / CS / 129/ 2018 and filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja is claiming N1 billion as damages for the breach of his fundamental human rights. His lawyer, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, filed the suit on his behalf, claiming that he had not been formally invited by the Police before he was declared wanted. This, according to him, painted Kassim as “a fugitive and common criminal with no modicum of dignity.” and declared that this amount to a “witch – hunt, harassment, intimidation and persecution,” as Babangida had not denied the statement he issued on his behalf.
It was gathered that since the letter by the retired General, Aso Rock reacted with far more anger that the reaction it showed with former President Olusegun Obasanjo letter. The reason seems farfetched: Babangida’s letter may have reopened an old rivalry between the two. It was Babangida that overthrew him during his first foray into the presidency as a military dictator. Reports also indicated that Babangida took over government and discovered he struck at the right time: Buhari was waiting to sign his retirement from the army the very day he took over power.
The cat and mouse relationship snowballed into the request from Buhari to bury his dead mother which Babangida refused, choosing instead to help Buhari’s late wife. This allegedly resulted in Buhari divorcing his wife on release from prison.
Now, the “you again” syndrome has overtaken the presidency after the press release, hence the war is not against Afegbua but against Babangida. Afegbua is just a pawn in the power game.