DSS Confirms Arrest Of Daily Trust Ex-Politics Editor Over Facebook Post

The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed arresting a former political editor of the Daily Trust newspaper, Ibrahim Dan-Halilu.

DSS confirmed Dan-Halilu’s arrest to THE WHISTLER while responding to an inquiry sent its spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, late Monday.

“Yes,” Afunanya simply said in a text message he sent to this newspaper. 

The former Daily Trust political editor was said to have been arrested in the early hours of Monday in Kaduna after a Facebook post he shared endorsing the “RevelationNow” protest of today, Monday. 

In a manner similar to how the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, was arrested on Saturday over the planned protest, Dan-Halilu’s residence was said to have been stormed by operatives of State Service. 

The journalist was reportedly picked up at about 2:00 a.m. by the DSS operatives at his residence located in Rigachikun, Kaduna State, on Monday. 

He had shared on Facebook: “I feel I should share because it resonates with me. If it resonates with you too, please share until all oppressed people of Nigeria get the message and domesticate it. This is #Not the Nigeria of My Dream.

“Somebody asked me why we need a revolution now, this was my reply: The aim of the revolution is to challenge the uncommon hardship why we have 16m children on the street; challenge why we have become the poverty capital of the world; challenge why we have 20 persons with corrupt cases as federal legislators and would-be Ministers.

“We need to restructure the country. We need to put an end to trillions spent on electricity while we live in darkness and pay estimated bill for electricity and meters. Why do we have huge oil reserves but our refineries are dead and we are re-importing what we exported as crude oil?

“It is time to ask why those in government travel abroad for medical care when they have left our hospitals dilapidated; why they send their children to school abroad when our children learn under mango trees.

“We are revolting against the continuing killings that have left 20,000 Nigerians dead while those in office move around under state paid security and do nothing. “We are revolting against because over a thousand Nigerians soldiers killed by Boko Haram have been secretly buried without identifiable graves, dignity or honour.

“$16m was purportedly spent on mosquito nets but our children die daily from malaria. $320m Abacha loot was purportedly distributed to the poor. Where is the verifiable list? N500bn was purportedly distributed to the poor as so-called Trader-moni. Where is the verifiable list?

“…With divine grace, God gave us about 40 natural resources spread across the length and breadth of the country. No country on mother earth is as blessed! The persons destroying Nigeria in and out of government are less than 10,000.

“For how long will the 201 million of us be silent? Forever? It will be sheer stupidity and very unfair of us to be silent and bequeath today’s sorry Nigeria to our children.

“For how long shall we continue to endure bad leadership from certificate forgers, election riggers, ritualists and yahoo politicians, hoping upon hope for a better tomorrow when things get worse by the day? We are too rich to be poor. We are too blessed to be a mockery of the world!!! No!!!”

Dan-Halilu was a staunch supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari until he stopped supporting the president after he won the 2015 presidential election. 

As part of his apparent disapproval of President Buhari’s leadership style, the journalist learnt his voice to the planned #RevolutionNow protest which the conveners said is aimed at kicking against bad governance.