Babangida’s spokesman denies police arrest report over Buhari statement

Kassim Afegbua, a spokesperson for former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida, said on Monday that he received no invitation from the police over a statement he signed on behalf of his principal Sunday afternoon.

“There’s nothing like that,” Mr. Afegbua, who had served as spokesperson for the former military ruler for over a decade, told PREMIUM TIMES Monday afternoon. “It’s a cooked up story.”

“Are presidential sources the Nigerian police?” Mr, Afegbua added in response to some national dailies, who cited an unnamed presidency source as informing them of the purported moves by the police to arrest him.

The police have kept mum about the arrest reports, which had been circulating since Sunday evening.

The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and Jimoh Moshood, the force spokesperson, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments for several hours Monday.

Also, Anjuguri Manzah, FCT police spokesperson, and Moses Nkombe, his counterpart in Edo State, both said they had no immediate details about any moves by the police to arrest Mr. Afegbua.

Mr. Afegbua was rattled on Sunday evening after another statement reportedly emerged from Mr. Babangida, countering the one he had earlier signed and distributed to the media.

The counter-statement, released by PRNigeria, a pro-government public relations firm, portrayed Mr. Babangida as rebuking his spokesperson, Mr. Afegbua, for putting out words that did not reflect his position.

Mr. Afegbua told Channels Television Sunday night that Mr. Babangida authorised him to release the original statement, a position he reiterated to PREMIUM TIMES Monday morning and which Mr. Babangida himself validated in his exchange with THISDAY.

The “original statement still stands,” Mr. Babangida was quoted by THISDAY aa saying.  (Preium Times)