Fayose berates DSS over PDP ex-governorship aspirant, Gbadamosi’s arrest

By Lere Olayinka

Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party

(PDP) Governors’ Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose has condemned the arrest and

detention of a former governorship aspirant of the party in Lagos

State, Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi, by operatives of Department of

State Security (DSS), describing the arrest and detention as a

continuation of the tyranny and barbarism of the All Progressives

Congress (APC) led government.
The governor, who decried the unwarranted arrest of Nigerians for

merely expressing themselves on social media, warned that “nothing

must happen to Mr Gbadamosi because up till today, the DSS has not

told Nigerians why he (Gbadamosi) was arrested and being kept

incommunicado, without access to his wife and doctor.”

In a statement issued on Saturday by is Special Assistant on Public

Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said the

DSS must begin to act responsibly by desisting from treating Nigerians

as if the country was under military dictatorship, adding that; “It is

only in a banana republic that someone will honour invitation of

security agency, only for him to be bundled into any available plane

and moved from Lagos to Abuja without telling anyone what his offences

were.”
He called for immediate release of Mr Gbadamosi, whom he described as

a prominent and law abiding Nigerians that has contributed immensely

to the economy of the country, saying; "If they have any issue with

him, let the DSS charge him to court."
The governor maintained that it was worrisome that the DSS has turned

itself to an instrument of oppressor that is more interested in

bullying any Nigerian who writes on social media against the APC led

government than securing the country and its people.

Governor Fayose, who called on the international community, especially

the Amnesty International to beam its searchlights on activities of

the DSS, said; “So many Nigerians are languishing in the DSS detention

across the country, with many of them being detained for as long as 18

months.
“For instance, the head of Nigeria's Islamic Movement (IMN), Ibrahim

El-Zakzaky, has been in detention since December 2015 despite that the

court ruled that he should be released. Leader of the Indigenous

People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has been in detention since

October 2015 while former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo

Dasuki (rtd) has remained in DSS detention since December 2015.

“This to me is unacceptable under a democratic government and the

international community must save Nigeria and its people from this

tyranny.”