- Demand Yakasai’s Immediate Release From DSS Custody
By Abiola Olawale
Deluge of reactions has been trailing the sack of Salihu Yakasai, a Special Adviser on Media to Kano Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje after he demanded the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari from office.
Yakasai, the son of top Kano politician and Human Rights Activist, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai had criticised the President over the security crisis in the country.
Yakasai, who took to his official Twitter handle to react to the abduction of 317 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School(GSSC) Jangebe, Zamfara state, said President Buhari should tender his resignation letter, following rising insecurity nationwide.
The tweet reads, “Clearly, we as [the] APC government, at all levels, have failed Nigerians in the number 1 duty we were elected to do which is to secure lives & properties. Not a single day goes by without some sort of insecurity in this land. This is a shame! Deal with terrorists decisively or resign.”
Following Yakasai’s comments, Muhammad Garba, Kano state commissioner for Information, in a statement released on Saturday, announced that the Governor’s aide has been relieved of his duties.
The statement said the sacking of Yakasai was due to his “continued unguarded comments and utterances which are deemed contrary to the stand of the All Progressive Congress, APC, government which he is serving.”
Yakasai has also been reportedly arrested by the men Department of State Services (DSS).
Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, a founding member of ACF and the father of Salihu, said his son was arrested by the DSS on his way to a barbing salon.
The elder-statesman made this known while speaking with The PUNCH, on Saturday.
In his words, “Yes, Salihu is with the security operatives since yesterday (Friday). He was arrested on his way to a barbing saloon. But I cannot confirm to you whether he is here in Kano or somewhere else.”
Reacting to Yakasai’s sack, Amnesty International Nigeria (AIN), an arm of the Amnesty International (AI) has condemned the security operatives, adding that Yakasai was exercising his freedom of speech.
The international organization took to its official Twitter handle to demand the release of Yakasai.
The statement reads, “Amnesty International condemns the arrest of Salihu Tanko Yakasai @dawisu for exercising his freedom of expression through a tweet. We call on the Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him. Nigerian authorities must respect the right of citizens to express critical opinions. #FreeDawisuNow”
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party, flayed security operatives for arresting Yakasai over his criticism of the administration of President Buhari.
This was contained in a statement titled ‘PDP Demands Salihu Yakasai’s Unconditional Release’ signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary.
The statement reads, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands the immediate and unconditional release of Salihu Yakasai, son of elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai, from security custody. The party describes the reported arrest of Salihu by security operatives as well as his alleged detention in a secret facility, just after his criticism against the Buhari administration’s failures in the fight against banditry in our country, as completely unacceptable. Salihu Yakasai’s ordeal is a sad reminder of the sudden disappearance of another known critic of the Buhari administration, Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Abu Hanifa Dadiyata since August 2019.
“It is also instructive to note that Governor Ganduje equally warned all political appointees and public servants in the state against such patriotic expressions like those made by Salihu,” the PDP added.
