DSS arraigns man who climbed 50 metres mast in protest

The 26-year-old undergraduate, Nurudeen Iliyasu who in protest climbed a 50-metre mast in Abuja has been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja by the Department of State Security Services (DSS).

He was arraigned alongside his brother, Lawal, who was the first to be apprehended by the Secret service, on charges of inciting public disturbance, treasonable action, tress-pass and action to ‎commit murder.

Although the two brothers had since been granted bail ‎by the court, they are yet to be released from detention as they are yet to perfect their bail conditions.

Nurudeen told Journalists that by the time they had perfected their bail conditions, the Chief Magistrate had closed for the day.

“‎We were about to be freed, everything was over the very day we went to court. The bail conditions were strict and before we could perfect it it was late already and the judge left without signing the production warrant and now the strike has started.

It’s very unfortunately. Pray for us please. It’s almost over. We are now at ‘Anty Vise’ cell Wuse zone 2,” he said.

The court admitted them to bail in the sum of N250, 000 each and a surety who must be a resident of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Besides, the Chief Magistrate sitting in Zone 2, Abuja said the surety must be a Federal Civil servant not below the rank of grade 7, who must forward his employment and last promotion letters.

The two brothers operating under the name “two4Nija” said they had “held several meetings on security with the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan one-on-one while he was in power; because he had listening ears and true patriotism and humility despite our younger age. But this government is too resistant to constructive criticism.‎”

‎”Our struggle for better Nija is now ‘Two4nija’ Lawal & Nura Iliyasu. We are of the same mother and father. We are two in our struggle for ever. We work together in every struggle.

We have been together in detention. He was the one apprehended before me. This is just the beginning until Buhari’s mediocrity is defeated.”

Nuradeen had on September 12, 2018, mounted a 50-metre mast overlooking the Presidential Vila, Abuja, on a seven-day hunger-protest against what he called bad leadership by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

While calling on the ‎opposition political parties to unite and produce a formidable candidate that will take over the leadership of the country and salvage the her, Iliyasu said his one-man protest was against “national indirection, pervasive hunger and starvation, un-godly generic poverty, youth redundancy and

In addition, he is protesting against ‎what he termed “schizophrenic governance, souring foreign-exchange, high commodity prices; dysfunctional refineries and textile industries, elites medical tourism abroad; continued kidnappings and other negativities too numerous to mention.”

He was however forced to come down from the mast the second day.

He told journalists at the scene in impeccable English that he was ready to end his life.

“What we are going through in this country is not from God. Some microscopic individuals hijacked all that God endowed Nigeria with, for a decent life. We can’t continue like this.

“I climbed the mast for a seven-day hunger ‎strike, to protest incompetence and cluelessness, to protest impunity and the general docility by the masses.

“Nobody sponsored me to do what I did. I am in a very ‎stable condition and I decided to do what I did. I am full of life and I am mentally stable,” he said.