BY AHMED TUKUR, LAFIA – In a dramatic turn of events where a complainant looks like the suspect, the Department of State Services (DSS) has subjected the Secretary to the Nasarawa State Government (SSG), Labaran Magaji, to a rigorous two-hour grilling over the alleged attack on Vice-President Kashim Shettima and other top dignitaries during the recent chaotic All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Lafia, the state capital.
The high-stakes interrogation stems from the violence incident that engulfed the campaign rally, turning a vibrant political gathering into a scene of sheer pandemonium where many people were reported injured and hospitalised in the process.
Speaking to journalists in Lafia, Magaji revealed that his Wednesday’s summons by the Secret police was a direct consequence of his own bold move in submitting a formal petition demanding an uncompromising probe into the outbreak of violence at the August gathering of top APC stalwarts and supporters of the ruling party.
Recounting his encounter with the DSS, the SSG said that he stepped into the DSS headquarters at approximately 4 p.m. and did not emerge until around 6 p.m., adding that throughout the two-hour session, a crack team of agency investigators pressed him for intricate details and deeper clarity regarding the contents and claims laid out in his petition.
“I was invited and questioned for two hours over the petition I wrote, demanding a probe into the violence that erupted during the APC presidential rally,” Magaji said, promising to honour any further invitation from the security agency.
Forefront News notes that Just 48 hours before the DSS issued its invitation, the Nasarawa State chapter of the APC had staged a peaceful protest against what it called the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) bias in handling state security.
During Monday’s demonstration, State Chairman Aliyu Bello slammed the Force for ignoring repeated petitions over attacks on party loyalists, declaring that the APC had lost confidence in the force’s neutrality.
Laying the blame squarely at the feet of law enforcement, Bello said it was the boiling tension, which could have been avoided had the relevant security agencies acted properly, that ultimately spilled over to ruin the high-profile gathering, leaving numerous attendees nursing injuries and dozens of others missing in the aftermath.
