Recall that Kukah had criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over the widespread insecurity bewildering Nigeria, particularly in the North.
The Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) has urged the Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Bishop Mathew Kukah, to shun an invitation by the secret police also known as the Department of State Services (DSS) over his latest Christmas message.
Recall that Kukah had criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over the widespread insecurity bewildering Nigeria, particularly in the North.
However, the Kaduna-based group noted that that eminent Nigerians, mostly critics of Buhari's government, who were summoned by the DSS in a similar way were being silenced.
The National Youth Leader of SOKAPU, Issac John Sirjay, in a statement on Monday, while reacting to the invitation, described it as a plot to terminate him over his remarks in recent times.
Following this, SOKAPU youths advised Kukah not to honour the purported invitation, saying that some Nigerians had fallen victim to such invitation.
SOKAPU, who itself has been speaking against insecurity in Kaduna State, mentioned former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Obadiah Mailafia as a victim of DSS invitation.
“It observed how the operation in recent times extended invitations to some people who had at one time or the other accepted invitations, particularly persons considered to be critical of the nepotistic and clandestine leadership style of the Buhari administration.
“We mourned the sudden demise of Dr Obadiah Mailafia of blessed memory who until his death was a dogged critic of this administration and a regular visitor at one of the DSS facilities,” the statement said.
According to the statement, without ruling out any possibility of harm, it considered the invitation of Bishop Kukah by the DSS a scheme devised to silence him by all means.
It advised Kukah to ignore such invitation by the DSS for the obvious reasons of threat to life and personal safety.
The statement further advised the DSS to focus on the ravaging impact of insecurity, kidnapping and banditry across the country rather than distracting the Bishop who is only pointing out the obvious about the decaying state of the country’s security architecture.
It said, “It is unfortunate to note that with the recent declaration of bandits as terrorists by President Buhari, we had anticipated an invitation from the DSS to the likes of Sheikh Gumi who has always fronted and still fronts for terrorists and bandit groups but the reverse is, however, the case.
“In light of the above, it suffices to state boldly that the DSS has unarguably deviated from its core mandate of protecting national security and has become a willing tool for the suppression of free speech.”
It further called for an independent investigation into the activities of the DSS with a view to making the institution and its mode of operations in line with global best practices.