DSS SUMMONS FEMI FANI KAYODE OVER ALLEGED COUP-PLOT COMMENT
The Department of State Services (DSS) has invited Femi Fani-Kayode, an All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, over his his allegations of an attempted coup allegedly being planned.
Fani-Kayode announced the DSS invitation in a statement issued on Monday morning.
The APC Chieftain said he would honour the invitation because he had nothing to fear, adding that he would continue to express his feelings as long as he has life in him.
“Three days ago, on the day that I tweeted about newspaper reports alleging that Atiku was secretly meeting with Army Generals, I received a text message from someone who claimed to be a DSS officer asking me to report to them on a matter of national security.
“I dismissed the invitation because it was vague and I was not sure whether it really came from the DSS. In any case I had no intention of going anywhere unless I was formally invited.
“To my surprise I received a formal letter from them to report to their office without fail two days later, which was yesterday evening. I put a call through to them and was advised to take the matter very seriously and report to them on the stipulated day and time otherwise the worse may happen.
“I found it interesting that a call came from one of Atiku’s dogs for me to be arrested by the security agencies yesterday and had it not been for the fact that the DSS had actually sent a text to me two days earlier I may have thought that they were acting on the instructions of what can only be described as a hopeless and desperate presidential candidate, opposition party and PCC who are clutching at straws, drowning fast, seeking to silence those that give them sleepless nights, shivering in despair and staring defeat in the face in the upcoming presidential election.
“Clearly the DSS were not influenced by Atiku and were simply doing their job by inviting me on a matter that needs explanation and clarification and for a thorough interrogation . I always honor their invitations when properly invited because that is the right and proper thing to do.
“This is all the more so when it touches and concerns matters of national security which I take very seriously and when it involves agencies like the DSS who are professional and thorough in their methods and approach.
“I have nothing to hide and consequently I will present myself before the DSS this morning as I have been asked to do.”
In a series of tweets on Saturday, Fani-Kayode had said he learnt that Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had a secret meeting with some army generals.
The Defence Headquarters had subsequently denied the meeting, pledging its commitment to democracy.
However, Atiku asked the DSS and police to invite Fani-Kayode for questioning, wondering why he was linked to such.
In a statement, which Phrank Shaibu, his Special Assistant on Public Communications, issued on his behalf, Atiku said, “Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered responding to Fani-Kayode who has over the years built a reputation of being an inveterate liar so much so that he was even publicly blacklisted by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) after his disgraceful outburst at a journalist.
“However, allegations and insinuations of a coup should not be taken lightly given the fact that it is treason, an offence that carries the death penalty. While commending the Nigerian military for effectively rubbishing Fani-Kayode’s barefaced lie, we call on security agencies to invite him to shed more light on the allegations.”
(Daily Trust)
