Arrested DSS official confesses
By Ifeanyi Okolie
A 35-year-old kidnap suspect now with the police has revealed that he was part of the security men who stole N310 million from the house of Senate President, Bukola Saraki in 2015. The man, Abdulrasheed Maigari, is in police net for another crime. He was among the kidnap gang that has been terrorizing Abuja for some time now and he spoke with CrimeGuard.
Maigari is a graduate of political science from Ado Bayero University, Kano and was enlisted into the Department of State Service, DSS as a Senior Intelligence Officer in 2011.
He was later posted to the Maitama residence of the Senate President in 2015 and late that year he said that three vehicles had brought in some money into the compound of the Senate President and knowing that it was government money which he said could have been appropriated they decided to rob the drivers who brought the money about 1 am.
He said that the Army Captain in charge of the security of the place ordered their action and that they ended up stealing up to N310 million which they shared and that his share was N30 million. Said he: “I served in operations department at Gombe and Osun Commands of the DSS before my dismissal in 2015.
Before I was dismissed, I was posted to the home of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki in Maitama and in November 2015, I can’t recall the exact date, three vehicles brought in the N310 million into the compound and the Army Captain who was on ground that day ordered that we should take the money away because he suspected the money was government money which could have been wrongly appropriated and could, therefore, be taken.
We were four DSS operatives and four army officers involved and we drove the three cars to a house in Suleja where the money was shared. I got N30 million and I bought a car and took it to Kaduna State where I hid the rest of my share.
I came back to Abuja, but on November 28, 2015, I was asked to report at DSS Headquarters and when I got there, I was interrogated over the theft and detained for five months, dismissed and charged to court. I was remanded in Kuje Prison, where I eventually fell ill after seven months. I was very sick and I was granted bail by the court on health grounds.”
Maigari was among those who kidnapped Alhaji Isa Ozi Salami last month and were arrested after their leader had collected N2.8 million and was spoiling for more money when luck ran out on them and the police swooped on them four days ago.