It’s disinformation – Minister
By Emeka Nze
Abuja
The Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi-led National Caretaker of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of hacking into citizens’ telephones and other electronic devices.
The party also alerted world leaders to the “serious issues of human rights violation” under the Muhammadu Buhari-led government since taking over power in May 29, 2015.
To this end, the opposition party called on all civil rights organisations across the country and in The Diaspora to rise and curb what it called the governing party’s excesses.
The allegations were contained in a statement yesterday in Abuja, by the committee’s spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye.
It said the nation’s “democracy is in serious danger and that the APC leadership must be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order as a result of these undemocratic behaviours.”
Adeyeye said: “We wish to use this medium to inform world leaders on the serious issues of human rights violation in Nigeria since the APC Administration took over power in May 29, 2015. We call on all civil rights organisations across the country and in The Diaspora to rise to this occasion.
“We will no longer tolerate this high-handedness of the APC and we therefore demand the unconditional and immediate release of Mr. Austin Usman Okai and all our members in several detention centers of security agencies across the country.”
The statement further said, “on April 9, 2017, Mr. Austin Usman Okai, a PDP youth leader and frontline critic of the Yahaya Bello’s APC-led government in Kogi state, was arrested by operatives of the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squared (SARS) on phantom petitions by some cronies of the governor.”
Adeyeye further alleged that on February 4, 2017, the Chairman, Jigawa state chapter of the party, Mr. Salisu Mamuda, was arrested for criticising the Jigawa state government for spending the sum of N400 million to entertain defectors from the PDP to the APC.
He similarly cited the case of Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi, a governorship aspirant on the PDP platform in the Lagos governorship race in 2015, who was allegedly arrested by men of the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) on February 17, 2017 on account of exposing the Forex racketeering by the APC-led Government at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“Also, on March 3, 2017, Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, a PDP chieftain in Kogi state, was arrested on trump-up charges and detained illegally for criticising the wrong policies, mis-governance and non-performance of Governor Yahaya Bello.
“There are also reports of indiscriminate arrest and detention of citizens of this country in Kaduna, Edo, Nasarawa amongst others, at both the federal and state levels controlled by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“These actions of the ruling party, the APC, are absurd, disheartening and a serious threat to our hard earned democracy. Nigerians cannot and should not be arrested and detained indiscriminately for criticising and holding government accountable. Constructive criticism is the primary responsibility of opposition in a democracy all over the world and Nigeria cannot be an exception.
“We have also been alerted to the news of the Federal Government of Nigeria planning to tap mobile telephone lines and hacking of other devices of citizens as a way of harassing and intimidating them into silence.
“These and other unholy practices of this administration will, henceforth, be resisted by all Nigerians. We will mobilise Nigerians at all levels to fight against the use of arms in a democratic system to ridicule and intimidate citizens of this country,” the party further alleged.
FG denies
Debunking the claims, however, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, described as false the information being circulated on the social media to the effect that under a purported Ministry of Interior regulation, all phone calls and social media posts made by the citizens are to be monitored and recorded.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, the minister described the development as another
example of disinformation that has permeated the media space, especially the social media.
He said “the intention of those behind the false news is to give the impression that the Federal Government is working to stifle freedom of speech, which is not the case.
”There is no regulation, old or new, from the Ministry of Interior or any federal government agency requiring the recording of all calls or the monitoring of social media platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter or Facebook.
“We are therefore using this medium to inform all Nigerians that what is being circulated in this regard is totally false and should be disregarded.
“We thank all Nigerians who have reached out to us in an effort to confirm the authenticity or otherwise of this information, which is now being widely circulated on the social media. This is the best way to ensure that the purveyors of false news do not dominate our media space.”
