Following the arrest of Tukur Mamu, media aide to a controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, more details have emerged.
Raye24reporters, earlier reported that the Mamu, alongside his family was arrested on Tuesday by security operatives in Cairo, Egypt, on his way to Saudi Arabia for lesser hajj.
The Kaduna state based publisher, was travelling alongside his two wives; Fatima Bashir Mamu and Aisha Salisu Mamu as well as his eldest son, Faisal Tukur Mamu, and his brother-in-law Ibrahim Hassan Tinja.
After his repatriation to Nigeria via the Egypt Airline on Wednesday, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested the bandit negotiator and transported him to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to DSS, Mamu was arrested based on requests from Nigeria’s Military, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Community to their foreign partners in Cairo, Egypt.
Mamu, has, however, denied wrongdoing, saying that there is no reason for him to be scared of the DSS and he simply wants the truth to be known.
In a chat with Daily Trust, security sources said Mamu was apprehended for his alleged involvement in collecting ransom and taking same to terrorists in exchange for kidnapped victims.
The security sources added that Mamu was arrested for his relationship with insurgents in Nigeria and alleged strong ties with a terror group in Sinai area in Egypt.
One of the security sources said Mamu’s arrest in Egypt after he came under international security scrutiny following his activities with bandits in Nigeria.
The security official claimed that Mamu has collected over N2bn in ransom for terrorists with some of the payments made in US dollars.
He, however, said the bandits’ negotiator was deported from Egypt based on the facts at their disposal and based on global standards.
He said: “He was arrested in Egypt based on Advance Passenger Information (API) because he came under international security scrutiny following his activities here at home and beyond the shores of Nigeria shortly after the Kaduna train attack.
“I can assure you that Mamu has high linkage with terror groups in Egypt, especially in Sinai and by extension Libya, the Sahel and other parts of West Africa on this side, and the middle- east on the other side.
“He has collected over N2bn in ransom for terrorists with some of the payments made in US dollars by desperate families and negotiated the release of their loved ones…We have been monitoring all his activities and evidence abounds to hold him to account.
“Egyptian authorities are not subordinated to the dictate of Nigerian authorities. They deported him based on the facts at their disposal and based on global standard.”
Another security source told Daily Trust that Mamu was arrested over a scheduled meeting with some suspected leaders of the terrorists who conducted the Kaduna train attack.
He said communication between Mamu and the suspected terrorist leaders have been intercepted, adding that there was fear over what could be the outcome of the planned meeting.
The source added that there are many allegations against the negotiator regarding the ransom paid to secure the release of the train passengers.
He said: “He scheduled many things in his itinerary including a medical check-up and lesser hajj but we believed it was just a decoy for him to carry out nefarious activities. He plans to end up in Dubai where he has made a rendezvous with those people.
“There are reported inconsistencies between monies paid and what was actually remitted to the kidnappers. He is also seen as pandering too much to the side of the terrorists than the people and government. What pained us was the recent move to pay N25 million to secure the release of the remaining 23 persons but at the last minute, he thwarted the arrangement insisting on a much higher figure.”
