State security service, SSS has unlawfully detained one of it's top official (Retired), Abba Kaka Mohammed for 48 days, over his closeness to EFCC boss, Magu.
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Abba was arrested by SSS agents on July 17 but had neither been released nor charged to court ever since, his lawyers said.
The Nigerian law allows a maximum of 48 hours for a suspect to be charged to court or freed on administrative bail. But Mr. Mohammed has now spent weeks languishing in detention without arraignment, amidst concerns by his family that he might have lost one of his eyes after being brutalised by SSS operatives in custody.
His lawyers were granted access to him for the first time on Tuesday. They had since approached the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court for fundamental rights enforcement proceeding against the SSS and Attorney-General Abubakar Malami.
His family members said Mr. Mohammed had taken critically ill and should be released or charged to court in order to get adequate medical attention.
Mr. Mohammed retired last year as an Assistant Director, Office of the Director General, ADODG, performing the role of a Chief of Staff to the Director-General of the SSS, Lawal Daura. But his relationship with Mr. Daura subsequently deteriorated.
“The SSS DG accused him of holding grievances against the SSS, a claim that is clearly not true".A lawyer to the accused said that Mr. Daura and his client had been long time acquaintances.
The relative, who asked not to be named for fear of being targeted by the SSS, said that, when Mr. Mohammed was arrested on July 17, he was taken to his residence along the Airport Road in Abuja, and another one near Galadimawa neighbourhood, also in Abuja.
"But they found nothing after all the searches they conducted,” the relative said. “Nothing implicating was found.”
Mr. Mohammed was then taken to the SSS custody, where he was confined to a cell without adequate care, the relative said confirming that Mr. Mohammed’s lawyer and his daughter were only allowed to see him last Tuesday.
"They also accused him of being a front for Magu, saying his long-time relationship with the EFCC boss was suspicious" the relative said.
The relative said Mr. Daura had always known that Mr. Mohammed was a friend of Mr. Magu, having both hailed from Borno and being friends for over a decade.
"The SSS officers just wanted him to implicate Magu with anything, even when they’ve never had any transactions together,” said the relative.
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