— Tambuwal was not detained – NIC
By Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna
and Chizoba Ogbeche, Abuja
There was a mild drama yesterday in Kaduna between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and some soldiers.
The incident occurred around 9:45 am at the Hotel Seventeen Kaduna, venue of the ongoing international conference on crisis associated with pastoralists in West African sub region organised by the Office of National Security Adviser (NSA).
Angry with the insistence of the security operatives that he wind up his glass and demand to search the car, Tambuwal who got furious angrily alighted from the car and walked straight into the hotel.
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Malam Imam Imam, said it was unfortunate and disrespect to the office of the Speaker as number four in hierarchy.
He said: “We came here early to meet up and the Speaker is billed to speak in the opening ceremony. When we got into the venue the soldiers saw us in a convoy with protocol, staff car and the main car with insignia which the Speaker was in.
“They stopped us, that they wanted to search despite explanation from the security details in our convoy. After that they insisted that the Speaker wind up the glass and afterwards he came out and walked into the venue.”
But the coordinator of the National Information Centre (NIC), Mr. Mike Omeri, has said that Tambuwal was not detained by soldiers in Kaduna.
Omeri insisted that there was no such incident as the speaker was attending an international conference that was being televised live on national television.
The coordinator, who is also the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), said a kidnap syndicate operating in the FCT had been busted by security agents currently investigating the incident to unravel the mode of operations of the kidnappers.
He advised members of the public, particularly young girls, to take precautionary measures towards averting being kidnapped.
He decried breaches of curfew imposed in some parts of the country where security operations were on-going, pointing out that the curfew are purely foe security and safety purposes, even as he implored on the public to adhere to the curfew.
Omeri confirmed the death of eight persons in the explosion that rocked the School of Hygiene, Kano, adding that the bomb was planted within the school compound close to the road by yet-to-be identified persons.
He said emergency services had been fully mobilised to the scene, while investigation was on-going.
Government, he said, “expresses displeasure at these continuing acts of senseless killings of innocent persons which has yet to benefit anyone.”
