DSS Releases Na’Abba after Five-hour Grilling

•Mailafia quizzed again, returns home

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

For five hours yesterday, the Department of State Services (DSS) quizzed a former speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Na’Abba, who is now a leader of a new political movement, the National Consultative Front (NCFront), for alleged incendiary comments.

The secret police, for the second time in five days, also interrogated a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, over his earlier allegation that a Northern governor was a Boko Haram commander.
THISDAY learnt that Na’abba was released yesterday night after the interrogation.

Mailafia, who was re-invited by the DSS to its Jos office, however, left the office after about 45 minutes.
Yesterday’s invitation was the second time in five days for Mailafia over an interview he granted to a radio station, Nigeria Info FM, where he alleged that a Northern governor is one of the commanders of Boko Haram.
However, unlike last week’s invitation where he was grilled for over six hours by the DSS, the former presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), who drove into the DSS office at 12.05 pm in a Land Rover SUV marked ABUJA – ABC 843 LX, was released about 1 pm.

He was with his wife, Margaret; his lawyer who is the Plateau State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Yakubu Bawa; and his surety, Reverend Gideon Para-Mallam.
A former Plateau State governor, Mr. Fidelis Tapgun, later came to join them after Mailafia had been released.
After his release, Mailafia refused to talk. He simply said: “I am told not to talk, but you can only talk to my lawyer.”

His lawyer told reporters that it was common knowledge that Mailafia had never failed to honour the DSS invitation, adding that his client was well treated and handled with decorum, dignity, respect and decency, which he said he was happy about.

Bawa described his client as a man of peace who loves the country with passion, adding that he honoured the invitation based also on the security situation in the country.
He said what took place between his client and the DSS inside their office was fruitful, explaining that the DSS has the power to invite anybody when necessary, especially to clear some grey areas.

Asked whether the whole issue was over, Bawa said: “We won’t say it is over yet, but we pray it is over. Our meeting today with them (DSS) was a positive and wonderful meeting.
“My client told them that he did not run that interview, that he is a man of peace who is averse to crisis. There is no cause for alarm.”