Family, Falana Chambers Raise the Alarm over Prolonged Detention of Ex-DSS Director

The continuous detention of former Assistant Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mr. Abba Kala Mohd, will aggravate his fast failing health condition, a family source has said.

A native of Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, Mohd was the Chief of Staff to Malam Lawal Daura, the Director-General of DSS, before he was suddenly removed from his office and retired July last year.

He was arrested on July 17 this year in Abuja along with one Kazali over yet-to-be-disclosed crime.

‘’My father (Abba Kala Mohd) was arrested in a commando style in Galadimawa area of Abuja on July 17, 2017, when he was driving with his family, and until now, we have not been able to have access to him,” his daughter, Fatima told reporter.

‘’My father is diabetic, hypertensive and has a heart disease.  He has special medications he takes daily but since he was arrested, the DSS has refused us to have access to him. They have refused us to give him his drugs, and they even prevented us from giving him his special food. We fear he might die unless he is released urgently.

‘’We don’t know the crime he committed; nobody has told us, and they cannot continue to detain him because his family is suffering,’’ she added.

The Head of Femi Falana Chambers, Abuja, Sam Ogala, also told the reporter that the chambers had written to the director-general of DSS on August 20, demanding Mohd’s release or be charged to court if he had committed any offence, but there has not been any response.

“I was also at the headquarters of DSS today (Wednesday) with Fatima, one of the daughters of the detainee, to see him, but we were denied access to him. They have not told us the offence he committed.

‘’Apart from Mohd, his family members are also being harassed. For instance, two of his relations, Ibrahim Mohammed and Alhaji Kala Umar, were arrested in Kano. Although Mohammed has been released but Umar is still been detained in the DSS headquarters in Abuja,’’ Ogala added.

Mohd, who is said to be a “very close friend” of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, was until he was suddenly retired and arrested, one of the close aides of the DSS boss, Daura.