Taraba Crisis: Police arrest Suntai’s aide

Police in Taraba State have arrested the Senior Special Assistant to the ailing Taraba State Governor, Mr. Danbaba Suntai on Media and Publicity, Mr. Sylvester Yakubu Giwa.


Giwa was said to have been picked up by a team of policemen at about 10 pm on Friday while relaxing with friends in a hotel.

Although reasons for his arrest were not known, but a source gathered that it might not be unconnected with a statement he made, accusing the Deputy Governor, Garba Umar, of being disloyal to Suntai.

Giwa told newsmen at the Taraba police headquarters where he was sitting behind the counter that “as a law-abiding citizen of the country, I never resisted when the team of police came to arrest me, though no reason was advanced for the sudden arrest.”

But the Police Public Relations Officer, Joseph Kwaji, told our correspondent on the telephone that he was not aware of the arrest.

Meanwhile as tension and reactions continue to trail the arrest of the governor’s media spokesman on Saturday, the immediate past commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Emmanuel Bello, in a press statement issued Saturday and made available to Sunday Punch in Jalingo condemned the torture and continue detention of the SSA.

He accused the state Commissioner of Police, Jubril Adeniji, of being Umar’s agent of intimidation, saying, “Mr. S.Y Giwa’s arrest in Jalingo is the latest proof of the return of jungle justice and reign of terror in Taraba under Garba Umar’s administration.”

Bello noted that the commissioner of police in the state was anxious to carry out Umar’s directive no matter how childish and unlawful it was.

He added that the police boss last week invaded Government House and dispersed a group of former commissioners, who were on a visit to Suntai.

He also accused the commissioner of police of engaging in an illegal meeting with the deputy governor.

Bello called on the Inspector-General of Police to caution the commissioner of police, saying he was taken absolute authority from Umar.

Also reacting, the immediate past Commissioner of Justice of the state, Mr. Timothy Kataps, said the reason behind the arrest of senior special assistant on media was that he (Giwa) said Umar was running a parallel government, which was against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In his reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the acting governor, Mr. Kefas Sule, said the arrest of the media aide to Suntai had no link with the office of his boss.