FORMER Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, was defiant yesterday after his release, insisting that he will not stop talking.
He was arrested, Saturday evening and released by men of the Directorate of State Security, SSS, Saturday, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, but released about 16 hours later talked tough, yesterday, saying his ordeal will not stop him from criticising the government.
El-Rufai who recounted his ordeals in the hands of security agents said he will not stop speaking on what is wrong when the need arises.
El-Rufai
He said he has just started his critical assessment of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration adding that he was not in any way inciting the people through his writings.
The former Minister who was arrested at the Abuja airport on arrival from London aboard a British Airways flight, told Vanguard yesterday that he was left to go home by the SSS at 9.00 am yesterday. He has, however, been instructed to report to the Directorate today.
Vanguard was told that Mallam el-Rufai was specifically asked why he chose to publish budget figures that were in all material details wrong.
In addition, Vanguard learnt that Rufai was remindedthat “he had been known to make some statements that were considered inflamatory in the past but had almost always been ignored.”
A source told Vanguard: “This time he was told in very clear and specific terms that the figures he gave out in his article were not only wrong but were intended to bring the Federal Government of Nigeria and, indeed, the intelligence community to disrepute by causing both disaffection in the estimation of members of the public.
Intelligence community
“The published figure for the intelligence community as published by Mallam el-Rufai was N208billion. He was asked why he did it”.
Mallam el-Rufai, in his response was said to have told security agents that he had been out of the country and was yet to get the complete volume of the budget.
Vanguard further understood that Rufai was informed that he could have got the complete volumes of the budget from the National Assembly, Supreme Court, Federal Ministry of Finance; and The Presidency.
He was then given a breakdown of the figures as appropriated by the National Assembly on May 25, 2011, and signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan on May 26 – Vanguard published the breakdown yesterday.
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