Abuja Telecom Mast Climber Returns To Earth, Arrested
Four hours after he climbed a 50- Metre Mast that overlooks the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the 28- year old, Nura Iliyasu, Thursday came down having satisfied himself that he protested against what he described as bad governance under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
There was however a mild drama as Soldiers at the scene of the event threatened to shoot him against the backdrop that he allegedly committed a treasonable offence since the Mast was directly facing the Villa as there were indications that he must have seen the inside view of the seat of power.
The Soldiers also anchored their move to fire him on the grounds that he may be in possession of bombs and also in the process of bombing the Presidential villa.
Iliyasu was at the end of the day taken away after answering questions from Journalists by men of the Department of State Services, DSS apparently for further questioning.
Iliyasu who had on Wednesday climbed the Mast to protest against the re- election of President Muhammadu Buhari for the 2019 Presidential election, had called on opposition political parties to come together in unison and produce a formidable candidate that would take over the leadership of the country.
The protester was on top of the mast in spite of the heavy down Wednesday night in the nation’s capital city, Abuja.
According to the student of the National Open University whose hopes have been dashed, his one man protest was to raise his total frustration, annoyance and despondency against the wrong direction of the country, adding that there is pervasive hunger and starvation, poverty, youth redundancy and hopelessness.
Iliyasu’s lamentations however include what he described as schizophrenic governance, souring foreign-exchange, high commodity prices, dysfunctional refineries and textile industries, elites medical tourism abroad, continued kidnappings, and other grievances as reasons for his protest.
The Protester who was forced to come down after security officials promised that he would speak to Journalists, had vowed to embark on the seven- day hunger strike and threatened not to descend from the mast until Buhari resigns as Nigeria’s leader, just as he stressed that the President does not deserve another term as hardship in the country was becoming unbearable.
It would be recalled that President Buhari had on Wednesday submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination form at the headquarters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja. Speaking with Journalists after he came down, he said, “My name is Nura Iliyasu, I was born 28 years ago. What I did is within for view of law to my human right to protest peacefully, I never threatened any other third party’s life.
“What we are going through in this country is not from God but few individuals hijacked all that God endorse on Nigeria for a decent life, we can’t continue like this. I climbed up for seven -day dry hunger strike back to protest incompetency and clueless. To also protest presidential impunity we can’t continue like this.
“I don’t believe General Buhari deserve another four years as president of Nigeria because the pervasive hunger and poverty in Nigeria is unexplainable. There is no reason why a country that we are the number 6 oil producing nation and for one to afford one square meal a day will be a problem, we can’t explain this.and general docility displayed by the masses. We can’t continue like this.
“Other competent candidates are there; even Saraki, Atiku, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal, Dankwambo and others. At least one of these [men] will make a good President. I don’t believe General Buhari deserves another four-year term in Nigeria because the pervasive hunger and poverty in Nigeria is inexplicable.”
The protester who explained that nothing was wrong with him mentally, said, “I don’t have a mental disorder as being insinuated by some people.”
