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SSS Throws Spanner into
Jonathan-North Alliance Talks, Arrests NPLF Scribe
Newsdiaryonline Thur March 10,2011
Twenty hours before a meeting of the Adamu Ciroma-led Northern
Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) to take final a decision on
whether to support President Goodluck Jonathan in the April 2011
election, Secretary of the Forum, Mallam Bello Abdulkadir has
been arrested by the Department of State Security Services
(SSS).
President Jonathan early last month met with the Ciroma group at
the Abuja residence of the former Minister of Finance signalling
the beginning of a rapprochement between the leaders of the NPLF
and President Jonathan.
But the SSS may have thrown a spanner in the works of the much
anticipated working alliance between Jonathan and the Ciroma
group with the arrest of Abdulkadir on Wednesday morning. It was
gathered that operatives of the SSS accosted the NPLF Scribe in
Abuja. But Abdulkadir insisted on being accompanied by a lawyer
which he quickly arranged.
It was gathered that Abdulkadir was taken to the “Yellow House”,
the headquarters of the SSS in Asokoro, Abuja. At about 10pm
yesterday night when it was clear that Abdulkadir will not be
allowed to go home, operatives of the SSS handed over the
telephone handsets of the Secretary of NPLF to his lawyer who
had escorted him to the SSS office.
Meanwhile, as at this afternoon lawyers were trying to file a
bail application on behalf of Abdulkadir in line with
constitutional provision that a citizen should not be kept in
detention for more than 24 hours without being charged to court.
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