DSS Denies Lawyers, Family Members Access to Bandits' Negotiator, Mamu

 

Lawyers, family members have been denied access to detained negotiator for terrorists, Mallam Tukur Mamu, TheNation has reported.

 

Recall that the detainee, who is the publisher of Desert Herald, was arrested last week by the Interpol in Cairo, Egypt, while awaiting a connecting flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah (lesser hajj) with his two wives and two sons.

 

Mamu was detained for 24 hours in Cairo and deported to Nigeria through the Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State, from where the DSS picked him up and has been in the agency’s detention.

 

A family source said a team of lawyers, led by Sani Ningi, was at the DSS headquarters in Abuja to visit the detainee but was denied access to him.

 

Some family members who made similar attempts could not see him.

 

The lawyers, according to the source, attempted to work on how to bail Mamu at the weekend but their efforts did not yield positive results.

 

It was gathered that Mamu may be arraigned in court today alongside his two sons and father in-law, Abdullahi Mashi.

 

Operatives of the DSS had, around 12.30 a.m on September 8, 2022, raided Mamu’s homes and offices in Kaduna where they took away phones, laptop computers, cash and other valuables.

 

The DSS had said they found incriminating items, such as large sum of money in different currencies and denominations as well as military accoutrements in the home and office of the suspect in Kaduna.

 

But the management of Desert Herald said the DSS did not find any incriminating item in their raid.

 

In a statement, the newspaper insisted that the government, through the security service, was twisting issues to incriminate Mamu.

 

Also, the DSS has warned against what it called unguarded utterances over the detention of Mamu.

 

The security agency said it would cease further comments on the matter, insisting that it would be determined by the court.