..Alleges mysterious death of Obadiah to invitations
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The Youth Wing of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) has urged Federal Government serial critic and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Archdiocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kuka to ignore invitation by the Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS).
The union, in a statement made available to journalsts in kaduna on Sunday urged Bishop Kuka, who hailed from Southern Kaduna area of kaduna State, to shun the invitation by DSS for obvious reasons of threat to life and his personal safety.
The statement signed by the national youth leader of the union, Comrade John Isaac, stated that “We are urging the DSS to focus on the ravaging impact of insecurity, kidnapping and banditry across the country rather than distracting the Bishop who is only pointing the obvious about the decaying state of the country’s security architecture.
The youth wing stated that it has continued to “observed with dismay the operations of the Nigerian DSS in recent times and the circumstances surrounding the mysterious deaths of persons whom had, at one time or the other accepted it’s invitations, particularly persons considered to be critical of the nepotistic and clandestine leadership style of the Buhari administration.
“Lately we mourned the sudden demise of Dr. Obadiah Mailafia of blessed memory who until his death was a dogged critic of this administration and a regular visitor at one of the DSS facilities.
“Without ruling out any possibility of harm, we consider the invitation of Bishop Kukah by the DSS as one of such ploy designed to silence him at all cost.
“While we urge the Bishop to ignore such invitation by the DSS for the obvious reasons of threat to life and personal safety, we are urging the DSS to focus on the ravaging impact of insecurity, kidnapping and banditry across the country rather than distracting the Bishop who is only pointing the obvious about the decaying state of the country’s security architecture.
“It is rather unfortunate to note that with the recent declaration of bandits as terrorists by President Buhari, we had anticipated an invitation from the DSS to the likes of Sheikh Gumi who has always fronted and still fronts for terrorist bandit groups but reverse is however the case”, it stated.
The body added that “ln the light of the above, it suffice to state boldly that the DSS has unarguably diviated from it’s core mandate of protecting national security and has become a willing tool for the suppression of free speech.
“We therefore call for an independent investigation into the activities of the Nigerian Department of State Services with a view to restructuring the Institution and it’s mode of operations in line with global best practices.
Titled “The DSS and the continue clampdown on dissenting voices”, the SOKAPU called for total overhauling of the service.
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