Suspected
masterminds of the El-Rufai Motor Park bomb explosion in Nyanya, Ahmad
Rufai Abubakar; Muhammadu Sani Ishaq; Ya’u Saidu; Adamu Yusuf; and Anas
Isah, after being paraded at the Dss headquarters in Abuja... on
Monday. (Inset: The arrested fleeing member of the the gang)
The
National Information Centre on Wednesday announced the arrest in Sudan
of the alleged mastermind of the April 14 Nyanya bombing, Aminu Sadik
Ogwuche.
Coordinator of the centre, who is also
the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri,
said this in Abuja.
Omeri spoke in company with the
information officers of some security agencies and ministries, saying
security agencies had already started working on the extradition of the
alleged fugitive.
He said, “We wish to authoritatively
confirm to you the interception and subsequent arrest of one of the two
suspects that were declared wanted, Aminu Sadik Ogwuche, whom we said
fled to Sudan. He actually did; he fled to Sudan.
“Ogwuche had been declared wanted by the
authorities in Nigeria for his involvement in the bombings in Nyanya.
The efforts of Interpol, the Nigerian Police and Department of State
Security Services have led to his arrest.
“At present, security authorities are
working to see to his extradition to Nigeria. Once information is
available on his arrival, we will let you know.”
Interpol had on Tuesday, on the request
of the Nigerian Police, issued a red alert for the search and arrest of
the suspect, who was once arrested on suspicion of terrorism but
released upon pressure from his father and the human rights community.
Deputy Director, Public Relations at the
State Security Services, Marylyn Ogar, had on Tuesday explained that
Ogwuche was released during his first arrest in 2011 because of pressure
from his father, a retired colonel of the Nigerian army, lawyers and
the human rights community.
She had said, “He was arrested in 2011
when he came into the country from the United Kingdom. That was based on
information that we had that he was involved in some terrorist
activities. He was with us.
“We carried out further investigation.
We started having lots of queries and enquiries from his father, the
lawyers, and especially the human rights activists saying we were
depriving him of his human rights.
“We had to make his father take him on
bail based on the fact that when we need him, he would release him to
us. And of course, when he was mentioned as one of those that had
masterminded the Nyanya bombings, we went straight ahead to ask the
father to release him to us. And of course, the father couldn’t produce
him. So, based on that, we had to work with other sister agencies and we
were told he is in Sudan.
“He was declared wanted. Because all
security forces are working as one, the police had to do what they had
to do and today the Interpol came in. So we can never be overwhelmed. We
are dealing with terrorism. Even investigation itself is quite
consuming.”
Omeri also confirmed that the Nigerian
security agencies, in collaboration with foreign alliances, had
commenced operations in an effort to rescue the schoolgirls abducted
from Chibok, Borno State, on April 14.
He declined to give details of the operation.
PUNCH
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