Woman appeals for release of husband detained on orders of Taraba gov

The wife of Musa Dahiru, who has been detained by the police in Taraba State, allegedly on the orders of Governor Kefas Agbu, is pleading for the immediate release of her husband.

Hafsat Musa, who spoke to our correspondent in Jalingo, said she and her six children were facing starvation due to her husband’s three-week detention.

“My children and I are starving because there is no one to provide food or meet our other needs. Two of my children lying here are sick and I don’t have any money to take them to the hospital or even to buy Panadol for them,” she lamented.

Another relative of the detainee, Sanusi Abdulrahman, also appealed to the commissioner of police to either release him or charge him to court instead of keeping him in custody.

The arrest reportedly stemmed from Dahiru’s social media comment criticising the appointment of the new Chief of Takum, which allegedly displeased the governor. An audio recording of Musa Dahiru’s remarks on social media, which criticised the chief’s appointment, went viral, leading to his arrest.

Sources claim that Governor Kefas was angered by the exposure of his confidential discussions and allegedly threatened repercussions against those who leaked the information.

Musa Dahiru, a staff of the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture, has been held for the past three weeks at the GRA Police Division without being formally charged.

When contacted, Mr Emmanuel Bello, the special adviser to the governor on media and digital communication                said, “Governor Kefas doesn’t have a history of oppression. He allows the security agents to do their job without interference.  He’s a strong believer in human rights and rule of law.”

Also, the Acting police public relations officer, Taraba police command, DSP Kwache Gambo, said she has checked the GRA police Division and there was no record of such a person being detained.

“He may be with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the Nigerian Army or the DSS but he is not being detained by the police,” he said.