Nigeria Bandit Negotiator Arrested in Egypt
Tukur Mamu, a negotiator between the Nigerian government and bandits in northern Nigeria, has been arrested in Cairo, Egypt.
Mamu has been lending his voice in negotiating for the freedom of the Kaduna train kidnap victims who has been in the custody of bandits since March 2022.
The Daily Trust reports that Mamu was arrested along with his family in Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
Mamu was reportedly on his way to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj when he was detained by officials at the Cairo International Airport for 24 hours and is being repatriated to Nigeria.
He said he left Nigeria on Tuesday and is under investigation by Egyptian security officials but will not face charges.
Mamu alleged that the Nigerian government planned to detain him in Egypt, a similar pattern to the arrest of Yoruba separatist Sunday Igboho who was arrested in the Republic of Benin and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.
He further claimed that the Egyptian government found that his papers were genuine.
Mamu announced last month that he was withdrawing from negotiations with the bandits following threats to his life and alleged blackmail by the Nigerian government.
This comes barely twenty four hours after Nigeria’s information and culture minister Lai Mohammed reassured Nigerians that the worst of insecurity in the country is over.
Source: Daily Trust