Chuks Okocha
9 May 2008
Abuja — There was mild drama at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Intern-ational Airport, Abuja yesterday as attempts by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to stop the former minister of the territory, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, from boarding a London-bound flight failed.
But an SSS official told THISDAY last night that it was a routine thing and that all persons traveling outside outside the country are thoroughly checked before being allowed to travel.
El-Rufai had arrived the airport early enough to board his flight but was denied access to the boarding area by a security operative who accosted him, informing the former minister he was assigned to prevent him from traveling.
El Rufai's tenure had come under the searchlight of the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory probing the sale Federal Government houses and allocation of land in the territory.
He has been answering charges of inappropriate allocation of land and violation of court orders on demolition of houses during his tenure between 2003 and 2007.
The former minister had asked the Senate committee for permission to be allowed to travel to London after the first hearing of the committee to be able to sit for his examination in the UK but was denied.
The committee said the hearing was more crucial to the nation than his exams.
In deference to the views of the committee, the former minister stayed back and re-appeared before the panel on Wednesday where he answered probing questions on land allocation and other allegations.
There was never an insinuation that el Rufai cannot travel, throughout the second hearing.
El-Rufai was said to be on his way to London where he is billed to sit for his degree in International Law exams
As he was accosted, el-Rufai said while narrating his ordeal in a text message that, "I refused and protested to the Chief of Staff and later through Uba, the Director-General SSS."
The former minister was the last to board the plane which eventually took off without further incidents.
When contacted for comments, FCT Minister, Mallam Aliyu Modibbo Umar, who spoke trough his Special Adviser Media and Communications, Mr. Diran Onifade, said he could not have interfered with el-Rufai's travels.
"The minister couldn't have done that. His problems are with the Senate committee and with the Nigerian public," he said.
Earlier in an interview with THISDAY, the former minister had complained that the country (Nigeria) was under siege.
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The dramatic scene created by the SSS operative to stop the former minister of FCT from boarding the said flight to UK,was just a demonstration of inefficiency in all aspects of its operational functionality,the confusing state of lacking what to do at a particular time,and decay in the trend of vertical or horisontal chain of issueing or implimenting order is a traditional culture that always lured SSS operations to severe,if not a catastrophic failures. Backed up by any aspect of the law,which the SSS is lackin in 70% of its operations,as the legal basis for SSS is decree 19 of… [Read Full Text]