Soldiers nab suspected mastermind of attack on Buhari

The defence headquarters on Friday announced the arrest of a suspect involved in the attack on the convoy of General Muhammadu Buhari in the Kawo area of Kaduna state on Wednesday.

The suspect, who reportedly attempted to fizzle into a crowd of onlookers in order to evade arrest, disguised as a woman.

He is said to be presently undergoing interrogation at an undisclosed military location.

“Troops are holding a man suspected to be connected with the explosion targeted at  a convoy of  General Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday,” read a defence headquarters statement.

But for the timely intervention of security agents who whisked him away in an armoured personnel carrier, an angry mob wanted to lynch the suspect.

The former head of state, who was en route to Daura, his home town in Kastina, when the incident occurred, described it as an assassination attempt on his life.

Meanwhile, Professor Rufai Alkali, political adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, has cautioned against politicising the attack on Buhari.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday, Alkali urged Nigerians to join hands with the security agencies in order to confront the perennial challenge of security facing the country. He said the government will be relentless in its pursuit of adequate security for citizens.

“Those who want to trivialise or personalise these issues by attributing it to this government or the leadership of this government in any form, directly or indirectly, should desist from that,” he said.

“We should also desist from any attempt that will weaken the institutions of government, especially security agencies who are doing very well in containing the situation.

“This government is committed to the security of this nation; it is committed to lasting peace in this country and Mr. President is deeply committed to bringing stability to our political environment.

“We should not over dramatise these issues. All of us must come together, we have a collective responsibility to protect and defend our country. This is not a time for politicising issues.”