‘Count me out’ – Adamawa commissioner reacts as arrested anti-govt critic alleges persecution

The Adamawa State Commissioner for Environment, Mohammed Sadiq, has said he has no hand in the arrest of a critic of the government, Umar Jada, widely known in the state simply as Calculate.

Calculate is a fiery critic of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and virtually anyone or anything to do with the state government.

Calculate, arrested after a petition over a comment of his that was deemed defamatory, blames his arrest on the commissioner, who had earlier pulled down a house belonging to him (Calculate).

Calculate’s arrest and detention on the order of a Magistrate Court had ignited public backlash.

One of his supporters, Muzzammil Hassan, lamented, “It’s heartbreaking and infuriating to see that in our own country, speaking the truth has become a crime. How can the Adamawa State Government justify arresting an innocent person simply for criticizing bad leadership?”

Calculate and the likes of Muzzammil Hassan have alleged that the arrest was masterminded by the Commissioner for Environment.

Reacting at a press briefing in Yola, the commissioner said he had no hand in Calculate’s arrest and that, in the first place, Calculate’s property was merely affected by his ministry’s land recovery campaign.

He said his ministry, in an ongoing urban renewal initiative in the state capital, Yola, is reclaiming land that had been illegally occupied.

He insisted that Calculate’s property was not pulled down for any ulterior reason, as even a secretariat of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Yola South LGA was similarly affected.

He said, “Yes, we demolished the PDP office. If a PDP government can bring down its own party secretariat for violating city plans, why should anyone else expect special treatment? This is all about planning. We’re cleaning up Yola, not settling scores.”