When Afaka’s condition worsened during DSS torture, he was rushed again to the ill-equipped State House Clinic.
Despite a desperate denial by the Department of State Service, more facts have emerged on how Master Warrant Officer Saidu Afaka, the official driver of President Muhammadu Buhari, was tortured by the DSS operatives over a $30,000 deal.
SaharaReporters learnt that the DSS personnel quizzed Afaka over the $30,000 deal involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
SaharaReporters learnt that he was approached to help ask Buhari to approve payments for NNPC contracts.
It was gathered that Afaka’s name was also changed and a pseudo name was entered into the DSS records upon his arrest, to prevent the matter from leaking to the public and embarrassing the presidency.
SaharaReporters had on Wednesday exclusively reported that Afaka was tortured by the DSS before he was rushed to the State House Clinic, Abuja, where he later died.
Top sources had revealed to this newspaper that Afaka, who was arrested by the DSS for tricking his principal to sign a fraudulent document to make millions of naira, had been abandoned in a two-bedroom apartment at the Aso Drive DSS apartments and had fallen sick, even before the $30,000 deal came his way.
“It was because of his treatment that he fell for the temptation to do the deal. People had asked why Buhari abandoned him at Aso Rock Clinic while he selfishly ran to London to give himself first-class medical treatment.
“When the deal leaked and the DSS arrested him, they refused to collect his records and detained him under a false name to avoid the story from leaking,” a top source revealed.
The sources had told SaharaReporters that when Afaka’s condition worsened during DSS torture, he was rushed again to the ill-equipped State House Clinic.
Explaining how the deal began, one of the sources had said, “The driver was approached to help to ask Buhari to approve payments for some Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation contracts. He was also arrested and detained by the DSS; he was fired shortly. A former ADC to Buhari reported to the DSS.
“Afaka was arrested with Buhari’s chief detail officer, Ya’u a Master Sergeant Warrant in the army. Since Afaka’s release four months ago, Afaka had been sick and attended to by Aso Rock clinic doctors. The clinic has no medical equipment despite huge allocations to it annually.
“Afaka lived and died in a two-bedroomed apartment at the Aso Drive DSS apartments. His co-workers are furious that despite his services Buhari refused to give him proper medical care he afforded himself.”
The Presidency had on Tuesday announced Afaka’s death in a release, saying he died after a prolonged sickness.
The statement by Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, however, avoided the grim facts that Afaka’s condition worsened after he was tortured by the DSS for tricking Buhari to sign the multi-million-naira deal.
In the statement, Buhari had extended heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased.
The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari extends heartfelt condolences to the family of Afaka on the passing of Master Warrant Officer, Sa’idu Afaka, his official driver, who died at the State House Clinic on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.
“President Buhari, who also commiserates with the Government and people of Kaduna State, described the late Afaka as an honest, capable and reliable person who handled his job with utmost care and responsibility.
“The President recalls that in 2016 the soldier, while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, picked up a bag containing a large amount of foreign currencies and turned it over to the National Hajj Commission, an action which earned him praises from the Saudi and Nigerian authorities.
“President Buhari prays Almighty Allah to 'bless the soul of the departed with an elevated place in heavens,’ committing the family and friends to divine comfort and patience.”
Afaka’s death is coming few days after SaharaReporters exposed how he capitalised on Buhari dementia to trick him to sign a fraudulent document to make millions of naira.