After he was detained in Kaduna State by the police yesterday for four hours, former governor of Zamfara State Ahmed Sani Yerima has insisted that he would not be cowed. He was arrested at the end of a two-hour Hausa radio programme entitled “Hannu Da Yawa” on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) over his comment on the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former governor had, during the programme, stated that “if there is any attempt by anybody or in any quarter to refuse the APC registration, we can go as far as having a peaceful protest 24 hours until our demand is granted”.
The statement forced the Kaduna State commissioner of police, Mr. Olufemi Adenaike, to personally drive to the Radio House with armed policemen; he seized the audio recording of the interview and directed the former governor to report to his office.
Senator Yerima had, before leaving to the police command, told journalists that “the CP himself invited me and said it was a directive from Abuja to invite me to his office”.
Arrested at 12 noon, he was released at 4pm.
At the police command, Sen. Yerima told journalists, “I came for a phone-in programme organised by FRCN Kaduna. They invited me and, as soon as the programme finished, the commissioner of police appeared and requested that I should see him.
“I said in case APC meets all the legal requirements and it is refused registration, we will mobilise for a peaceful protest to INEC.
“In fact, people like Gen.Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Ibrahim Shekarau and other stakeholders will converge and mobilise people to go to Eagle Square like what happened in Egypt. We would sit there day and night until INEC registers APC. Yes, I still stand on what I said.
“I said if the sitting president of Egypt could yield to the pressure from the people, I cannot see INEC not registering APC. I am not calling for a peaceful protest now, I am just sounding a warning to INEC: they should know that Nigerians are watching and they are interested in everything.”
Asked whether he was arrested, the senator responded, “I don’t know whether I was arrested.”
The former governor had, during the programme, also disclosed that the federal government was bribing some senators to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
He said that any senator who supports the PIB has been bribed.
In his response, the commissioner of police said: “Put yourself in my shoes, you are a commissioner of police in a state and you start receiving calls from concerned citizens that somebody had made an inciting statement on radio; will you go to Burukutu (locally made beer) joint? No, you have to make a move. All I did was to go to the radio and I gently met the distinguished senator and said, ‘Please I want to know what you said.’
“And he said no problem. But I am surprised at what people are saying: that I arrested the senator.”
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