he Abuja-Kaduna train hostage negotiator, Malam Tukur Mamu, has been arrested in Egypt. He was detained by Interpol at the Cairo International Airport while awaiting a connecting flight to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, The Nation gathered.
Mamu, who is the spokesman of popular Kaduna-based Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, was accompanied by his two wives and one other person on the journey. He was said to have been flown back to Nigeria by Interpol after he was interrogated and nothing was found incriminating against him.
Mamu, who is the Publisher of Desert Herald Newspaper in Kaduna, negotiated the release of some of the victims of the March 2022 Kaduna Train attack.
He is expected to arrive at Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano Wednesday afternoon and may be interrogated further by officials of the Department of State Security (DSS).
Head, Special Projects, Desert Herald Newspaper, Ibrahim Mada described the arrest of the publisher of the weekly newspaper as outright intimidation and harassment by the Federal Government.
The management staff accused the Federal government of contriving the arrest and deportation of Mamu from Egypt
In a statement on Wednesday, Mada said: “In its efforts to intimidate and harass the publisher of Desert Herald newspaper, Malam Tukur Mamu, the federal government has surreptitiously contrived the arrest and deportation of the publisher as well as members of his family while on their way to the holy land for lesser Hajj.
“On the 5th September 2022, Mamu alongside his family planned the journey to Saudi Arabia to perform lesser Hajj.
“They travelled through Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and departed exactly at 2:00pm aboard Egypt Airlines.
“They are expected to return to Nigeria on 20th September 2022.
“Immediately after their departure, we received credible information that men and officers of NIA had stormed the airport with intent to stop him from travelling.
“But their attempt to frustrate the journey was not successful as he has already left the airport en route Cairo. But in their desperation to expound a pound of flesh, they forcefully retrieved copies of his travelling documents from immigration.
“On arrival in Cairo, Malam Tukur Mamu and family members were arrested and detained for almost 24 hours and later deported back to Nigeria on the strict request and instructions of Nigeria government.
“Mallam Tukur Mamu is a responsible citizen who voluntary engaged in negotiations that led to the release of about 20 passengers of the I’ll fated train hijacked by gunmen.
“His patriotic mission to ensure the safety of the hapless passengers made him a target of blackmail by unscrupulous elements in the government who are hell-bent on punishing him for this noble but dangerous sacrifice for the fatherland. Such threats and intimidations have forced him to reveal a number of times that his life was under serious threat.
“Due to numerous threats to his life and conspiracy from the side of security agents to frame him, he withdrew from the said negotiations but from his latest sojourn, it appears that those who are desperately braying for his head are still hell-bent on carrying out their odious dastardly plans.
“But it is our fervent hope that the evil machination of these desperate elements will be nixed by the fact that Allah is always by the side of the oppressed. This evil machination like the ones before it shall also come to pass”.
Source: The Nation
