The Kebbi State Command of the Department of State Services (DSS) has invited a journalist working with Vanguard Newspapers, Haruna Aliyu, over a story published about how he was assaulted by a DSS personnel, Shuaibu Zubair.
News About Nigeria learned that the DSS personnel assaulted the journalist, who is his neighbor, after being reminded to pay his electricity bill.
The DSS officer reportedly became angry when his co-tenants pointed out that he had only paid N4,000 out of the N5,000 he owed for the bill.
Briefing newsmen about the incident, Aliyu revealed that after the assault, the DSS personnel also threatened that he could kill him without facing any consequences.
Giving further details, the journalist said, “The DSS officer is using two apartments, each of which is supposed to pay N2,500 monthly. We got the monthly bill, and all of us contributed our share. The total amount to be paid was N10,000. When we were calculating the money, it was discovered that he had not completed his payment. When we approached him, he suddenly got angry, slapped me six times in the presence of other tenants, and I did not retaliate.”
He also quoted the DSS personnel as saying, “You have received a beating for nothing, and you will die for nothing. Today, you will know that I am a DSS officer. If I kill you, nothing will happen. The last thing you can do is take me to the police station.”
Aliyu further noted that he is now afraid to stay in his house due to the threat.
In a fresh development, after the story was published, the DSS has invited Aliyu to their office in Kebbi State to provide a detailed account of what happened.
According to him, he received the invitation on Monday afternoon and intends to honor it.
The journalist, however, alerted the general public, stating that the DSS office in Kebbi State will be his last engagement in case anything happens to him.
He said, “Around 11 a.m. on Monday (yesterday), a strange number called me, followed by a text message that read, ‘Please call me, I am calling from the DSS office in Kebbi State.’ I returned the call at 1:35 p.m. and was told that the state Director was inviting me to the office for unexplained reasons.
“The public should note that the DSS office in Kebbi Command is my last engagement in case I am not seen again after honoring their invitation.”
