A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Obadiah Mailafia, on Wednesday said he would not retract his statement that a northern governor is the leader of Boko Haram.
Mailafia spoke with journalists shortly after he was released by the Department of State Services (DSS), which grilled him for more than six hours at their Jos, Plateau State office.
He said there was no need for him to retract anything.
Mailafia was invited by the DSS on Wednesday following an interview he granted to an Abuja radio station during which he said a northern governor was the commander of Boko Haram.
Mailafia, who arrived at the office the DSS office around 12.30pm, was not released until 6.40pm
Mailafia went to the Jos office of the DSS, in company of his wife, Margaret and lawyers, including Pius Akubo; Plateau State Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Bawa; Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, among others.
Placard-carrying members of various socio-cultural organisations from the Middle Belt, also followed him to the DSS office.
Mailafia said he would not keep silent in the face of the current security challenges facing the country even if it meant for him to die. He called for an end to the killings in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country.
On his claim, Mailafia said, “If I retract anything, I won’t be able to leave this place. I am a man of peace, I am not a man of violence.
“I must never give up on Nigeria, if need be, I will die for Nigeria.”
After his release, Mailafia said he was treated with respect and decorum during the period of interrogation.
He noted that all the killings in Southern Kaduna and other states in the country must stop with immediate effect.
According to Mailafia, every Nigerian child, from Daura, Katsina, Manchok to Zaria and other places are his children.
He added that he was not talking politics, that the struggle for emancipation was his concern, stressing that he is not afraid to die for the sake of the people.
He pointed out that it is the duty of government to protect lives and properties of citizens and commended his well-wishers and supporters, urging them not to give up on one Nigeria.
His wife, Margaret, appreciated all who stood by them, saying her husband is “a good man who stands with the people.–Vanguard
