Former Senator who represented Zamfara Central Senatorial District, Kabir Garba Marafa, has said reports linking him with bandits, following the arrest of a notorious Chadian bandit, Abdulmuminu Moossa, are false and maliciously meant to tarnish his image.
Marafa who distanced himself from the allegation in a statement issued by his Media Office on Friday in Abuja, said those behind the allegation are the very same people who loot funds meant to procure arms to fight insecurity in the North.
He however, described allegation as malicious, wicked and misleading, stating that, “though, the spurious report was published in an obscure news platform, he didn’t find it funny.”
“The attention of the Media Office of Senator Kabir Garba Marafa has been drawn to a malicious, concocted, wicked lies and misleading report published in an obscure platform created by the agents of some disgruntled APC leaders.
“The report, alleging that one Abdulmuminu Moossa, a citizen of Chad Republic, said to have been arrested by the Nigerian security operatives in Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto State, confessed to knowing Senator Marafa for more than seven years, was nothing but black lies, concocted to dent the hard earned reputation of the former lawmaker."
He said, a preliminary investigation has been conducted and discovered that some foot soldiers working for some highly placed political elements were behind the report, adding that it was targeted at diminishing his popularity.
“Their machinations cannot stop what Almighty Allah has ordained.”
“It is on record that Senator Marafa was the first to raise the issue of banditry, at its infancy on the floor of the Nigerian Senate, drawing the attention of the federal government and the global community to the activities of the criminals.
"Marafa, on many occasions raised the issue on the floor of the Senate at the time these agents of falsehood were busy looting funds meant to procure arms to fight the twin evil of Boko Haram and banditry.”
A former military head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, was similarly linked to an impounded helicopter believed to have been used to supply weapons to bandits in the North. But like Marafa, he denied it.
“This kind of fake news has the potential of aggravating the already tense security situation in the country and should not be condoned,’’ he stressed in a reaction through his spokesperson.
“I urge Nigerians to ignore such treacherous acts and to be careful with the kind of information they dish out or share on social media,’’ he stated.