The Department of State Security Services (DSS) this afternoon finally bowed to pressure and produced Mr. Gordon Ebele Obua, former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan.

Obua, a serving officer of the DSS, was arrested by the Service last Thursday, July 16, and kept incommunicado without charges filed against him. His lawyers had raised an alarm over the inhuman conditions in which he was allegedly being held in solitary confinement, and this morning stories started making the rounds that he had died in detention.

This forced DSS management to produce Obua, who addressed the media inside the conference room of the Service headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking at occasion, the former CSO said: “I thank Nigerians and members of my family who have expressed very serious concern about my well being in the last six days.

“I want to use this medium to tell Nigerians and members of my family that I am hale and hearty. As a serving officer of DSS and having completed my duty tour with the last President, the Service felt that I should give a briefing of my stewardship.

“Nigerians should be assumed that DSS is a responsible organisation and I am sure that nothing adverse will happen to me once it is ascertained that I did nothing wrong.”

Three days ago, Onochie Onwuegbuna, the lead partner at Zeran Legal, had issued a press statement on behalf of Obua’s family, complaining about the conditions in which his client was being detained and alleged that his client was being witch-hunted by the Buhari government. He said his client was diabetic and hypertensive and was being denied his drugs as well as food and water by the DSS.

Obua refused to answer questions during the media briefing, saying: “I am a serving staff of DSS and I have limitations regarding speaking with the press. I thank the Director General of DSS for the way that I have been treated so far.”

•Photo shows Gordon Obua during this afternoon’s media briefing at the DSS Headquarters in Abuja.

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