The Senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, on Wednesday narrated his experience in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.
Abaribe was held in custody by the DSS for about five days over alleged sponsorship of the Indigenous People of Biafra recently.
Speaking for the first time on the incidence at the plenary in the Senate, Abaribe said he was helped to transit from freedom to detention by former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam.
According to him, Suswam who was in detention was the first person to receive him in the custody.
Abaribe is currently on bail.
“When I was inside the world, the first person that received me and who helped my transition from freedom to incarceration was the former governor of Benue State, Governor Gabriel Suswam,” he said.
The lawmaker said although his house was searched, no incriminating document was found.
He said he had continued to report to the DSS every morning because he was on administrative bail.
His narrated: “On Friday 22nd of June I was arrested at the gate of the Hilton hotel while the International Press Institute congress was going on. I was taken to the office of the DSS by 11:30in the morning and subsequently by 5 p.m. I was taken to my house for a search of my residence. When we got to my house, it was at the point I was formally informed of why I was arrested.
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“The search warrant that was used stated clearly that I’m being accused of sponsoring a proscribed organisation, IPOB, and so the search was to look for evidence of such.
“After the search which took about five to six hours, I was taken to the office of DSS about 12 midnight and now kept there. The late musician that Nigerians know very well called Fela said ‘when you are inside, you are in inside world, when you are outside, you are in outside world.’
“So, when I was in the inside world, the first person that received me and who helped my transition from freedom to incarceration was the former governor of Benue State, Governor Gabriel Suswam. He had been arrested on Tuesday, I was arrested on Friday. As at the time I was released Tuesday, he told me he had not been told why he was arrested.”
Abaribe pointed out that his position had been informed by his sense of patriotism and would not be deterred in any way.
In his reaction the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, expressed joy over Abaribe’s return, saying that the experience was a sacrifice in the process of deepening the nation’s democracy.
