Mamu: Outcome Of Investigation, So Far, Mind- Boggling – DSS; Warns Public Against Comments

By Adesina Soyooye

The Department of State Services, DSS, said on Sunday, that the outcome of its investigation, so far, on Tukur Mamu, the self- appointed hostage negotiator, is mind-boggling.

The Service’s Spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunanya, in a statement, also warned the public against making comments on the arrest of, and investigation of Mamu by the Service.

Mamu, the Publisher of the Desert Herald is, also, the Media Consultant to Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, a Medical Doctor-turned Islamic Scholar.

In the wake of the embarrassing March 28, 2022, attack on the Abuja-Kaduna bound Train by terrorists who killed eight  passengers and took 68 of them hostage, Mamu became a self-appointed negotiator. He turned the intermediary between the families of the hostages and the terrorists.

He is the one who gives information on the release of the hostages, the state and status of the hostages and the state of the mind of the terrorists. The abductors have been releasing the hostages in batches. However, 23 of them are still held captive.

Each of the released hostage always visited Mamu’s office to thank him for his role in their release.

However, on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, things turned awry for Mamu when he was arrested by INTERPOL at the Cairo International Airport, Egypt, on his way to Saudi Arabia. He was in the company of his two wives and one other.

After interrogation, the INTERPOL sent him back to Nigeria. He arrived the Kano International Airport on Wednesday, September 7, into the waiting hands of Operatives of the DSS.

The DSS was to explain that the Service arrested Mamu on the request of the Military and other Security Agencies in connection with a critical security investigation. The Services Operatives later raided his residence, office, and those of a couple of his relatives and his inlaw who, allegedly, is also in the custody of the DSS, just like Mamu.

On Friday, September 9, at a Religious event,  Sheikh Gumi attacked, verbally, the DSS, and accused them of being terrorists considering the manner in which Operatives of the Service arrested Mamu.

Condemning the DSS in strong language, Gumi said:

“Nigeria’s constitution did not say you can arrest someone without any proven evidence criminalising him and without charging him to court. You cannot arrest and keep him in detention arbitrarily.

“Take him to court to face trial. Keeping him in custody despite being a family man was just to intimidate him. This intimidation is also terrorism.

“Arresting people unjustly is also terrorism; just like the terrorists do by going to somebody’s house to kidnap him.

“It’s not about Tukur Mamu. You all know that whenever they arrest innocent people, I always talk, not to talk of someone that I know and I’m only advising the Government to release him so that we can apologize to him to forget what happened.”

But reacting, apparently, to Gumi’s acidic submission, in the statement it  released on Sunday,  the DSS noted:

“The DSS has followed, with keen observation, overzealous comments by sections of the public in view of issues relating to the arrest and investigation of Tukur Mamu.

“The Service wishes to state that it is not distracted with some of the skewed narratives pervading the media space.

“Instead, it requests to be left alone to concentrate on the ongoing investigations, the outcomes of which have remained mindboggling

“Meanwhile, the Service will cease further comments on the subject matter since the Court will determine its course.

“Consequently, the public is hereby enjoined to desist from making unguarded utterances and await the court proceedings.”

During the search of Mamu’s residence, the Service said it recovered large amounts of money in different currencies and denominations, just as it also said Military accoutrements were recovered.

However, Mamu’s office said the Military accoutrements belong to Mamu’s son who is a Navy Officer.