A civic group, the Citizens United Against Terrorism, has asked President Bola Tinubu to release Bello Hadejia’s alleged accomplices in his government to face prosecution.
At a press conference in Abuja, the convener of the civic organisation, Dr. Emmanuel Agabi who commended security agencies for the arrest of alleged gunrunner and cross-border criminal, Bashir Hadejia, called for the prosecution of his collaborators, including highly placed individuals in the Tinubu government.
The group warned that failure to thoroughly investigate and prosecute Hadejia’s accomplices could lead to a repeat of the Boko Haram scenario, where followers of Yusuf Muhammed were allowed to escape and rebuild.
The organisation also asked President Bola Tinubu to release any cabinet members or appointees named as accomplices by Hadejia.
The statement reads in parts “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.
“Our demand for a detailed investigation was informed by several reasons. First, Hadejia was reportedly caught with such mindboggling cache of gold, which bore the stamp of the Central Bank of Libya. However, we have cause to suspect that the Libyan connection is a smokescreen to hide the fact this is the gold mined from communities that bandits have wiped out in northwest Nigeria – Sokoto, Kebbi and Gusau axis, which has been rendered into a wasteland.”
The group expressed concern that Hadejia’s connections to highly placed individuals in government could lead to protection and interference in the investigation, while it emphasised that no one should be above the law and that all those involved in subversive activities against Nigeria must face justice.
“As a country, we must learn from the ascendancy of Boko Haram and how the group was able to rebuild because the followers of Yusuf Muhammed were allowed to escape following his capture and eventual demise. The Citizens United Against Terrorism (CUAT) appeals to President Bola Tinubu to release any of his cabinet members and appointees who Hadejia has named as accomplices.”
