Mamu was repatriated to Nigeria and picked up by secret police, Department of State Services (DSS) at the airport on Wednesday.
More information has emerged as regards the repatriation of Kaduna-based publisher Tukur Mamu from Egypt and his subsequent arrest at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
Mamu was repatriated to Nigeria and picked up by secret police, Department of State Services (DSS) at the airport on Wednesday.
Mamu, who negotiated ransoms for the terrorists who kidnapped passengers from a Kaduna-bound train in March 2022, was arrested for allegedly collecting a whopping N2 billion in ransom on behalf of the Islamic terrorists.
Citing security sources, Daily Trust reports that his arrest goes beyond his relationship with insurgents in Nigeria, adding that he was also arrested because of his “strong ties with a terror group in Sinai area in Egypt”.
Sinai Peninsula is located in Egypt between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south. It adjoins Israel and the Gaza Strip in the east. Like in Nigeria, despite the decrease in the frequency of attacks in recent years, militants remain active and pose a serious threat to Egyptian security operatives and other symbols of Sinai.
Mamu has reportedly denied any wrongdoing, saying he was on a legitimate journey to Saudi Arabia.
“He was arrested in Egypt based on Advance Passenger Information (API) because he came under international security scrutiny following his activities here at home and beyond the shores of Nigeria shortly after the Kaduna train attack,” a security source was quoted as saying.
“I can assure you that Mamu has high linkage with terror groups in Egypt, especially in Sinai and by extension Libya, the Sahel and other parts of West Africa on this side, and the Middle East on the other side.
“He has collected over N2 billion in ransom for terrorists with some of the payments made in US dollars by desperate families and negotiated the release of their loved ones…We have been monitoring all his activities and evidence abound to hold him to account,” he said.
When told that Mamu had shortly before his repatriation from Cairo said there was an attempt to treat him like Nnamdi Kanu, the source said, “Egyptian authorities are not subordinated to the dictate of Nigerian authorities. They deported him based on the facts at their disposal and based on global standard.”
Another security source told Daily Trust they monitored Mamu’s activities for long before his arrest.
“Can he tell the world his legitimate source of income to justify his lifestyle? Had it been we wanted, we could have picked him in his house in Kaduna but because what he is doing has global implications, we allowed the international law to take its cause,” the source said.
Yet, another security source with knowledge of the situation said Mamu was intercepted because of an intelligence report over a scheduled meeting with some persons believed to be leaders of the terrorists who conducted the Kaduna train attack.
“He scheduled many things in his itinerary including a medical check-up and lesser hajj but we believed it was just a decoy for him to carry out nefarious activities. He plans to end up in Dubai where he has made a rendezvous with those people,” he said.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he lacked the authority to speak on the operation, said communications between Mamu and the suspected terrorist leaders were intercepted, adding that there was fear over what could be the outcome of the planned meeting.
Aside from this, he said, there are many allegations against the negotiator around the ransom paid to secure the release of the train passengers.
“There are reported inconsistencies between monies paid and what was actually remitted to the kidnappers. He is also seen as pandering too much to the side of the terrorists than the people and government. What pained us was the recent move to pay N25 million to secure the release of the remaining 23 persons but at the last minute, he thwarted the arrangement, insisting on a much higher figure,” one of the sources said.
Meanwhile, in a conversation with Daily Trust, Mamu said, “I don’t have anything to hide and I am not afraid of them (DSS). I swear to God, I am not afraid of them. I just want the world to know what is happening.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the publisher of the Desert Herald was arrested together with his family by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) shortly after he was repatriated to Nigeria from Egypt.
He was arrested and whisked away by security operatives shortly after the Egypt Airline, which returned him from Cairo touched down at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.