The senator representing Borno South at the National Assembly, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has rejected a new office allocated to him by the Senate Services Committee.
Ndume, in a letter addressed to the Chairman, Senate Services Committee on Tuesday, said the office given him does not reflect his seniority and high ranking posture at the Senate.
The letter, signed by his Chief Confidential Secretary, Yati Shuaibu Gawu, reads: “I am directed to inform you that, Distinguished Senator Mohammed All Ndume, has rejected the allocation of office number 3.10 by the Committee.
“This is because offices are traditionally allocated on seniority basis.
“Sen Ndume is the most Senior Senator after Sen Ahmad Lawan and will only occupy an office on the fourth floor.”
Recall that Ndume was recently stripped of his position as Chief Whip of the Senate, following his criticisms of the President Bola Tinubu-led government, hence the decision to allocate a new office to him.
Meanwhile, Police in Borno State have arrested the legislative aide of Senator Ali Ndume, alongside two of his supporters in Biu town and detained them in Maiduguri, the state capital.
The wife of the aid, Amina Kachalla, confirmed that her husband, Shehu Usman Aliyu (Babandi), was arrested alongside two others: Tasiu Hassan Malgwi and Ibrahim Adamu.
“I’m appealing to the police to release my husband. He is our breadwinner and we have been suffering since the day he was arrested,” she said.
The spokesman of Borno State Police Command, Kenneth Daso, confirmed the arrest, adding that it was based on an intelligence report.
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“It was based on intelligence that they were arrested and the investigation is ongoing. I will follow up the case and keep you updated,” he added.
Although the PPRO did not give details of the case, other supporters attributed it to an aborted solidarity rally they organised over Ndume’s removal as chief whip of the Senate.
It was reported last week that the ousted chief whip’s supporters, including youths and women groups, clubs and associations, had planned to stage the rally in Biu town last Saturday, but later shelved it due to what they described as fragile security situation in the state.
A press statement signed by Ndume’s Senior Legislative Aide (Media), Junaid Jubrin Maiva, read: “The general public is hereby informed that the solidarity rally scheduled to take place on 28th July 2024, in Biu, in support of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District, has been cancelled.”
Maiva said the cancellation came in light of potential conflicts with a proposed nationwide protest and concerns over possible disruptions.
A family source in Biu revealed that, “three of them were arrested last Sunday in Biu by a team of armed policemen and whisked to Maiduguri for interrogation.”
It was learnt that the police authorities have secured a court order to detain the alleged organisers of the solidarity rally pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Also, there is tension amongst the teeming supporters of the senator in southern Borno, who faulted the arrest, describing it as a witch-hunt.