In its desperation to silence the voices of probity and transparency against its corruption prone-administration, Bauchi state government has systematically introduced a silent clamp-down on identified whistle blowers and critics of the governor’s style of administration. The crack team suspected to be under the supervision of the governor’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), an officer from the Directorate of State Security (DSS) and close relation to the governor’s senior wife who was alleged to have been appointed to the position for dirty jobs, is targeting users of the social media and conventional newspapers.
A check by 247ureports in Bauchi and other towns within the state shows that one of the most vocal whistle blowers against the M.A Abubakar led administration in Bauchi state, Yakubu Alhaji Jibrin, was suddenly arrested some weeks back in his Kano residence by a special squad of the Nigeria Police from Bauchi state command suspected at the directive of the State Government without due process. The Police Command had claimed that it made the sudden arrest on the strength of a petition it received against Abubakar Bibi Dogonyaro and Yakubu Alhaji Jibrin. But observers were not convinced with claim.
Ezekiel Musa, a retired police detective and residing at Rafin Zurfi a suburb of Bauchi metropolis and APC stalwart said of the arrest, “The Bauchi State Police Command lied to the public to cover its illegality. The command was only used for the hatchet job. If not, how many petitions are there with the command that have not been attended? Who wrote the petition against Jibrin and Dogonyaro? It is not matter of petition but a matter of defending the allegations. The Police seem to support criminality. Look at what is going on now at the national level. So many exposures of stealing and corrupt practices are heard. The Emir of Kano was suspended from office as Governor of the Central Bank for whistle blowing and now the truth has surfaced. The Police should not allow itself to be used against truth
“Instead of arresting the whistle blower, the Police should have investigated the allegations that necessitated the petition. I pity the Police for attempting to compromise”.
Jibrin who was whisked away to an already arranged detention facility in Bauchi, was denied access to his family members and medication for several days until after the intervention of his team of lawyers led by renowned legal practitioner, Bariister Muhammed Abubakar Diffa before he was allowed access to his medicines and family members.
A compromised judiciary was already at hand, and the case was shabbily charged to a Bauchi magistrate court 3 penultimate Wednesday but adjourned to the following week for hearing without the suspect allowed on bail. At the resumed hearing, the case was hurriedly transferred to Baichi High Court 11 on the request of the State’s Director of Public Prosecution who is adjudged a sycophant. The whistle blower was directed by the High Court Judge to be remanded in prison custody until January 17 for further hearing of the case.
Observers of events including senior stakeholders of the ruling party (APC) in the state, faulted the arrest and detention of Yakubu Jibrin, describing it as an acceptance of guilt by the M.A Abubakar administration. They opined that the systematic clamp down on whistle blowers and critics will not add value to the system but will prove a point against the M.A Abubakar led government.
Abubakar Bibi Dogonyaro who emailed a report to 247ureports on the unfolding drama in Bauchi, stated that, “If the M.A Abubakar’s administration is honest to itself as it claims, why the clamp down on critics? The governor has severally made contradicting statements unbecoming of the lawyer he claims to be on the financial situation in the state. He came into government with an erroneous believe that the people are either stark illiterates or cowards that cannot expose stealing of their monies and corruption. Let him continue to arrest those he can arrest and we shall continue to source documents to expose his corruption prone administration for posterity. We have the records and we shall continue to source documents for exposure. He accused Yuguda of stealing but Yuguda had never awarded the renovation of a 4-kilometer to a mushroom contractor at over N2billion”.
Dogonyaro further said, “Yakubu was arrested for exposing corruption and stealing. Let the administration debunk the allegations with facts not with insults and blackmail. Is that not true that Bauchi Government House is monthly maintained at N80million as the document published showed or is it not true that each of the governor’s wives receives a monthly subvention of N3million from security vote for idling? Let those facts be debunked. We visited the motor company M.A Abubakar visited to negotiate for the purchase of vehicles as we stated in our jointly signed advertorial in Daily Trust. We got the facts and we published them as they were. What is there for arrest? Did we blackmail the government or stated the truth? What of the ideals of the change mantra? Is that what M.A Abubakar’s change mean? Did the electorates vote for corruption and stealing as the change mantra? We have so many channels to source documents that can add value to our total war against corruption and stealing of public funds in Bauchi state
“Our fear is that in 2019 after his defeat for reelection, M.A Abubakar may go into exile as his predecessors. Mu’azu has ran away, Yuguda is in the United Kingdom and Abubakar may eventually follow them after shortchanging the people”.
Meanwhile Governor Muhammed A. Abubakar is said to have hurriedly traveled out of Nigeria to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj and to possibly repent and reorganize himself to confront the credibility challenges tearing his administration.
