Group urges FG to prosecute alleged gunrunner Hadeija’s collaborators

The Citizens United Against Terrorism (CUAT) has commended security agencies for the arrest of alleged gunrunner and cross-border criminal, Bashir Hadejia, and called for the prosecution of his collaborators, including highly placed individuals in government.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, CUAT Convener, Dr. Emmanuel Agabi, praised the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and security agencies for arresting Hadejia and other masterminds of the recent protests in the country.

Hadejia was arrested by police operatives from the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), supported by operatives from the Force Intelligence Department-Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS).

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A search warrant issued by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), FCT Police Command, dated August 12, 2024, revealed that the suspect was accused of “treason and subversion against the state.”

He was accused of being behind the recent protests that shook the country.

However, the group demanded a thorough investigation of Hadejia’s accomplices, including those in government, and called for their prosecution.

CUAT also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to release any cabinet members or appointees named as accomplices by Hadejia.

“It is in the public domain that Bashir Hadejia has also been indicted as an alleged mastermind of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests that were used as a cover to unleash widespread campaigns of arson, looting, and even killing in several states,” Agabi said.

“Information made available after the Nigeria Police Force arrested him indicated that the ultimate aim of the protests was to destabilise the country and overthrow the government.

“This plot to destabilise is not all that Hadejia has to answer for, as he also has to answer for treason, subversive activities against the Nigerian government, trans-border gun-running, heists, and other transnational crimes.

“We at Citizens United Against Terrorism (CUAT) see Bashir Hadejia as a mere mask in the grand plot to destroy Nigeria, and we are interested in knowing the persons behind the mask.

“He is a puppet whose puppet masters must be revealed. 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.”

Agabi said the array of public office holders Hadejia has been documented as having access to is frightening, saying the development raises serious questions about 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,” he said.

The group expressed concern that Hadejia’s connections to highly placed individuals in government could lead to protection and interference in the investigation.

They emphasised that no one should be above the law and that all those involved in subversive activities against Nigeria must face justice.

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.

“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. A repeat of the Boko Haram scenario with Hadejia will be catastrophic given the highly placed persons he has named as his accomplices.

“His accomplice fugitive Jackson Udeh and others at large should be arrested and also brought to book immediately. 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.”