A group, Citizens United Against Terrorism, CUAT, has called for a thorough investigation into the reports making the rounds that an alleged gunrunner and suspected cross-border criminal, Bashir Hadejia, was linked to some government officials.
Salient Times reports that the arrest of Hadejia, a former aide to the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, by security operatives recently sparked concerns.
The suspect, who was a special adviser to Matawalle during his tenure as Governor of Zamfara State, was arrested on Monday.
Shortly after his arrest was made known to the public, photos and video clips of the suspect and some prominent politicians and celebrities emerged online, creating anxiety among concerned citizens.
Speaking on the matter at a press conference in Abuja, CUAT convener, Dr Emmanuel Agabi, said the decision by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to effect the arrest of the suspect was commendable.
The group, however, demanded a thorough investigation of Hadejia’s accomplices, including those in government, and called for their prosecution.
CUAT also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to immediately relieve any of his appointees or cabinet members named as accomplices by Hadejia.
“We see Bashir Hadejia as a mere mask in the grand plot to destroy Nigeria, and we are interested in knowing the persons behind the mask.
“He is a puppet whose puppet masters must be revealed. Hadejia is like the leafy part of a weed; if his arrest is akin to pruning the weed, we must as a country go the extra mile of removing the roots for this sickening infestation to be truly over and dealt with.
“In this regard, you are aware of how Hadejia has been photographed or videoed with highly placed individuals in the present and past governments at the federal and state levels.
“The array of public office holders he has been so documented as having access to is frightening. This raises the serious question of who his connections are in the government and what level of protection they will offer him by getting him off the hook. Nigerians do not want this to happen. Hadejia must answer for what he has done to this nation,” the group said.
