Its been reported that Adamawa State Governor Murtala
Hammanyero Nyako who was impeached from office has fled to Europe to escape federal
prosecutors who have been looking for him.
Nyako was impeached by the State House of Assembly on
Tuesday for alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office, but his supporters
said he was removed for accusing President Goodluck Jonathan of fanning Boko
Haram activities in the North - accusation federal officials regard as
treasonable.
But security sources told Daily Trust that he had fled the
country despite a serious surveillance mounted on him.
They said he first fled to Ghana where he took a flight to
Europe, adding that he was last sighted in Paris on Friday.
Daily Trust could not independently verify the claims but
searches at both his Adamawa and Abuja abodes in the last one week have shown that
the former governor was at neither places.
A source in Yola told Daily Trust that Nyako has been having
telephone conversations with some members of his family from a European country
where he is currently residing. The source did not disclose the name of the
country.
Security sources said Nyako’s escape was coordinated by a
former top security officer who hails from Adamawa State. They alleged that it
was done with the connivance of officials of some federal agencies.
It was unclear whether it was done with the tacit approval
of some government officials who might consider his escape a better option than
arresting him, given the negative public opinion his impeachment has generated.
But sources said there were also many government officials
who are bent on seeing that the former naval chief is prosecuted.
He was reportedly placed under surveillance even before his
removal from office, and security agents were ordered to arrest him as soon as
the state legislators impeached him. It was unclear why he was not immediately
arrested after his removal.
Nyako left Yola for Abuja about two days to his removal on
July 15. His last major function in the state capital was on Saturday, July 12,
when he addressed his supporters who paid him a solidarity visit.
Most of his aides believe that he was in Abuja on the day he
was impeached.
His whereabouts remain a top secret among close family
members and top aides.
The spokesman of the former governor, Ahmad Sajoh, declined
to comment on his principal’s whereabouts. But he said “he is doing fine; (he
is) hearty and healthy. The security agencies should continue to look for him.”
Sajoh told Daily Trust that security personnel had called
severally at the office of one of Nyako’s daughters, Zainab, who is a
practising lawyer in Abuja, making inquiries. But he said apart from that no
other member of the family has been
harassed.
He described the removal of Nyako as an illegal act hatched
to frame the former governor for offences he did not commit.
“For the Acting Governor to go to PDP secretariat and say he
reclaimed a stolen mandate shows the criminal mind-set of those who were used
to remove him from office because Nyako was legally elected by Adamawa people,”
he said.
He said Nyako would never retract his memo (in which he
accused Jonathan administration of complicity in Boko Haram activities - and
for which, some say, he may face prosecution).
Sajoh insisted that the memo was based on the information
available to the former governor and careful analysis of insecurity situation
in the northern part of the country.
Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(FFCC) are also looking for the former governor over his handling of the
state’s finances.
Many of his top aides, including the just removed Secretary
to the State Government Kobis Ari Thimnu and former commissioner for Local
Government Affairs Dr Salihu Bakari, who is also a son in-law, as well as his
top banker and several government officials had been quizzed by the EFCC.
Many of them were detained for days before they were
released on bail. Some of them have been reporting regularly to the commission,
EFCC officials said.
No comments:
Post a Comment