Nigeria’s secret police on Friday, June 22, 2018 arrested Eyinnaya Abaribe, the senator representing Abia South at the National Assembly, presumably for his outspoken nature.
According to online reports, Senator Abaribe was arrested at a popular hotel in the Maitama District of Abuja by agents of the State Security Services, SSS, also known as DSS.
As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy, Abaribe had complained only on Thursday about an “illegal addition” of N30 billion into the budget of power at the Buhari Presidency.
“The amount never passed through the senate power committee,” the senator said.
“Where did such huge sum of N30 billion come from? Let the budget office and other relevant bodies conduct self-examination. Such self-examination will go a long way to clear gray areas.”
The senator had said he was unhappy that the budget allocation for the Enugu airport terminal was reduced by N500 million from the 2 billion that was first submitted by the executive.
According to him, “no right-thinking Igbo man would support any cut on allocation for projects in the south-east region”.
Some reports speculate that the senator is believed to have come under the watch of the DSS since standing as surety for Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, who hasn’t been seen or heard in public since the Army invaded his home last year.
