SSS Detains Own “Retired” Senior Official For 7 Weeks Without Trial For Alleged Closeness To EFCC’s Magu

The State Security Service (SSS) is said to have held without trial a retired senior officer of the agency for 48 days and still counting over his alleged ties to Ibrahim Magu, the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Premium Times quoted lawyers of the affected official, Abba Kaka Mohammed, as saying that he was arrested by SSS agents on July 17 but had neither been released not charged to court ever since.

The Nigerian constitution stipulates a maximum of 48 hours for a suspect to be charged to court or freed on administrative bail, but Mr. Mohammed has now spent weeks languishing in detention without arraignment, with concerns by his family that he might have lost one of his eyes after being brutalised by SSS operatives in custody.

It was gathered that he retired in 2016 as an Assistant Director, Office of the Director General, performing the role of a Chief of Staff to the Director-General of the SSS, Lawal Daura. But his relationship with Mr. Daura subsequently deteriorated.

“The SSS DG accused him of holding grievances against the SSS, a claim that is clearly not true,” a relative, who pleaded anonymity, said.

The relative added that when Mr. Mohammed was arrested on July 17, he was taken to his residence along the Airport Road in Abuja, and another one near Galadimawa neighbourhood, also in Abuja.

The relative continued: “But they found nothing after all the searches they conducted, nothing implicating was found.”

Mr. Mohammed was then taken to the SSS custody, where he was confined to a cell without adequate care, the relative said, confirming that Mr. Mohammed’s lawyer and his daughter were only allowed to see him last Tuesday.

“They also accused him of being a front for Magu, saying his long-time relationship with the EFCC boss was suspicious,” the relative said.

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