SSS Puts El-Rufai Under House Arrest in Anambra

Former FCT Minister and All Progressives Congress (APC) party member, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, was on Saturday in Awka prevented from moving out of his hotel room to monitor the Anambra Governorship Election currently ongoing.

el-Rufai told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the `Finotel Hotel’ where he lodged that some armed men of the State Security Service (SSS) restrained him from moving out of the hotel to monitor the election.

He said:“I arrived in Awka by 7 p.m. on Friday and had a brief session with the APC candidate, Sen. Chris Ngige. When I came out to have my dinner, I saw three heavily armed SSS officers at the hotel.

“I asked them why they were following me; they told me that they were protecting me because Awka is not safe.

“I told them that I came with my own security. This morning, as I was about to have breakfast, they blocked the corridor and tried to restrain me from going out but I pushed by and went to the restaurant to eat.

“After my breakfast, I will be going to the APC Situation Room in town to monitor the election. I am being unlawfully detained here,’’ he said.

NAN reports that at this point, one of the SSS men entered the restaurant and confiscated the reporter’s tape recorder and deleted the recorded interview before returning it to her.

When contacted on telephone, the Director of SSS in the state, Mr A.U. Okeiyi, confirmed the report, saying that el-Rufai was being protected.

“el-Rufai is not an ordinary person. If anything happens to him, they will blame the security,’’ he said.

NAN reports that heavily armed security men were seen guarding the premises of the hotel. (NAN)

Source: NAN