APC condemns harassment of El-Rufai by security agents

By The Rainbow

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the harassment of its Deputy National Secretary, Nasir El-Rufai, by the Department of State Security (DSS).

In a statement issued by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mr Lai Mohammed, the party expressed shock that the DSS was seeking to arrest El-Rufai for merely exercising his constitutional right of free speech.

It said there was nothing inciting or extraordinary in the statement credited to Mr El-Rufai that 'there might be violence if the 2015 general elections were not free and fair'.

'Shameful Overkill'
'We wonder why the DSS has suddenly found its agility, after playing dead when people like Mr Edwin Clark, Asari Dokubo and Chukwuemeka Ezeife issued a direct threat to Nigeria's continued existence over president Goodluck Jonathan's second term ambition,' the statement read.

The party described the storming of the party official's residence in Abuja by armed DSS operatives on Friday, without producing any arrest warrant as a 'shameful overkill'.

The operatives of the SSS had earlier made an unsuccessful bid to arrest El-Rufai following  his failure to honour the invitation extended to him by the agency.

Mallam El-Rufai’s son, Bello El-Rufai announced the visit of the SSS officers on twitter via his twitter handle @B_ELRUFAI.

The younger El-Rufai tweeted 'The SSS just came to our house to 'arrest' Mallam.'

His second tweet read, 'They threatened to force their way through the gate when they came back. You don't need to force your way if you have an arrest warrant.'

Operatives of the SSS had stormed the Maitama, Abuja residence of el-Rufai to arrest him for making what the SSS described as provocative statement on the 2015 elections.

The armed security personnel, who came in a Hilux Toyota vehicle, were unable to apprehend their target as El-Rufai's security men prevented them from entering the compound.

Guards at the former ministers home locked the gate and refused to allow the SSS operatives to access the residence to arrest the former minister.

The security operatives, who were frustrated by the action of the guards on duty threatened to arrest them.

The service had on Thursday summoned the stalwart of the All Progressives Congress to appear at its headquarters today for saying there would be violence in the 2015 elections and that 'the only way to take power is by force.'