A former aide to Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, Shuaibu Gara, has accused his former principal of allegedly attempting to take over community land for a private university and using police intervention to intimidate him after he opposed the move.
Gara, who served as Yahaya’s adviser on Information Management in 2022, claimed that his relationship with the governor deteriorated after he challenged the alleged plan to take over an expanse of land belonging to residents of Kundulum in Akko Local Government Area for Jewel University.
The former aide alleged that the land was intended to become the university’s main campus, accusing the state government of attempting to acquire it by force under the guise of serving the public interest.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Gara described the ensuing confrontation as a campaign against him, claiming that verbal attacks and alleged attempts to get him arrested followed his opposition to the proposed land acquisition.
“His Excellency, I respected you enough. I supported you and your government. I served your government, but I noticed that the direct confrontation started after the position I took on the people of Kundulum land, where your government wants to take it by force, purportedly in the public interest, and give it to a private university, and I stopped it,” he alleged.
Gara claimed that previous attempts to have him imprisoned through the police and magistrates had failed twice, insisting that he would not be intimidated into silence.
“Let me tell you, sir, I am not afraid of prison. I was there before for saying the truth. The plan to send me to prison failed two times,” he said.
The former aide also accused Yahaya of allegedly intervening in a police matter involving a suspect whom he claimed had made false allegations against him.
Gara questioned why the governor would allegedly direct his Chief Security Officer to take the suspect on bail and fly him to Abuja, despite what he described as police efforts involving the Inspector-General of Police.
“If, as a governor, you can intervene and stop the police, on the instruction of the IGP, from arresting a street suspect in Gombe, and choose to ask your CSO to take the suspect on bail and fly him to Abuja, is this not only inappropriate but embarrassing?” he queried.
“The suspect lied against me, so what is the interest of Gombe State in the matter? What is your interest?” he added.
Gara further alleged that a businessman, Tanko Isyaku Gwamna, a brother of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Gombe State, had taken him to court and involved the police in a dispute that resulted in his arrest on a Friday.
He claimed that a magistrate subsequently issued what he described as a frivolous arrest warrant and criminal summons through an ex parte application.
The former aide said the matters were under investigation, while accusing the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex of collecting N800,000 from him and his lawyer.
According to Gara, his phone was seized, while his lawyer’s Nigerian Bar Association identification card and Call to Bar certificate were also taken. He further alleged that the police demanded a surety.
“What was my offence?” he asked, questioning why the governor had allegedly intervened in the dispute involving the suspect but not in the matter concerning him.
Gara also alleged that the pressure against him was intended to frustrate the launch of his Gombe First Movement, the centenary celebration of Hassan Central Primary School and the Gombe Emir’s Cup.
He claimed that an order had been issued for his arrest and that the wife of his surety had been harassed.
“I am aware of the order to arrest me and even the harassment of the wife of my surety. All these must be explained one day,” he said.
Despite his allegations against the government and the police, Gara thanked police authorities and the judiciary for what he described as their willingness to listen to his complaints and take steps on the issues.
The former aide also levelled allegations against Gwamna, claiming that the businessman supervised the demolition of the residence of the late former Gombe State governor, Mohammed Danjuma Hashidu, and played a role in what he described as a controversial judgment concerning Mechanic Village land.
He further alleged that Gwamna’s company provided services for which it was not paid and accused the businessman of impersonating a government official through the alleged use of an official blue passport.
“He claimed he was your adviser. We shall see. We shall see who gave him the blue passport,” Gara said.
The former Yahaya aide vowed to continue speaking out on issues affecting residents of Gombe State despite what he described as attempts to silence him.
“I am calling on the people of Gombe State to know this: for declaring war against me, I will fight back. I am not a coward, and I believe you know,” he declared.
The allegations against Yahaya, Gwamna and the police officials were made by Gara. Responses from the governor, the businessman and the relevant police authorities were not included in his statement.
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