Following a health challenge which needed urgent attention for which he flew to Cairo last year before he was arrested by DSS and brought back to Nigeria, family members of Kaduna based publisher of Desert Herald weekly Newspaper, Tukur Mamu have appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and other prominent Nigerians to intervene in granting him administrative bail, so he can get required medical attention.
Mamu was a known negotiator between terrorists and the federal government early last year.
The State Security Service had in a statement in September 2022 said Mr Mamu was arrested following a request by the Nigerian Military to answer some questions relating to security in the country.
However, a statement on Monday signed by his children, Faisal Tukur Mamu, Dr. Zainab Tukur Mamu,
Usama Tukur Mamu, Nazir Tukur Mamu, Kashim Tukur Mamu,
Marwan Tukur Mamu said their father’s health is deteriorating and needed urgent medical attention.
According to the statement titled, “A PASSIONATE APPEAL FOR MERCY”, the family said the appeal became necessary in view of their father’s deteriorating state of health
“On behalf of the family of Tukur Mamu, we the children of of the above mentioned person call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio to please in the name of God Almighty and in the name of humanity to wade in on the continuous detention of our father and help ensue his bail.
“We are not seeking for the discontinuation of our father’s trial but we are passionately pleading for your good office and for you as a loving and responsible father to please grant our father administrative bail so that he
will urgently do the much needed surgery,” the statement said.
According to the family, their father, Tukur Mamu has a well documented history of respiratory ailments which forced him to travel to Egypt for medical treatment several times before his arrest and incarceration.
“As a result of this medical condition, his Indian doctor had recommended that the use of a medical device in the night during his sleep to avoid sudden heart failure or heart attack.
“Futhermore, the implanting of the device was a temporary measure as it was recommended that he goes for a major surgery that would correct this respiratory imbalance.
“According to his doctor, significant part of his respiratory system has been blocked and so a surgery is urgently required.
“This recommendation and conclusion was about three years ago. It was eventually arranged for him to travel and have the surgery in Cairo, it was in that process and on transit to do the surgery that he was arrested on 6th September, 2022.
“While Under DSS detention and because of the same medical crisis he collapsed three times and he was admitted at DSS hospital two times but because they don’t have an ENT specialist and facility in their medical centre they graciously took him to another medical centre ,” the family said.
They explained that the complete medical report of their father’s ailment was handed over to officers of the Department of State Security (DSS) with request that he be allowed to go for treatment but the appeal was rejected.
“Furthermore, our father’s two years in the custody of the DSS has complicated his health challenges as he developed High Blood Pressure.
“It is in light of this that we make the following passionate appeal,” the statement said.
The family said, it is in view of all the health challenges that they are appealing to the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu to wade in and help arrange for an administrative bail for their father.
“We the children of Tukur Mamu wish to tender our unreserved apologies to any one whom our father may have offended in the discharge of his duties as a media practitioner”. The statement added. (Sun)