Shaibu Yusuf, a man arrested by the FCT Police Command for threatening to commit suicide from the height of Aso Radio and TV mast in Abuja on Monday, July 8, 2024, over insecurity and prevailing economic hardship in the country, has been released from detention.
This was disclosed by an Abuja-based lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, who secured his release from Police detention.
Adeyanju, in a message sent to LEADERSHIP on Thursday night, said he alongside the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Ben Igwe, will support Yusuf Shaibu to start a Point of Sale (PoS) business in order to cater for himself.
“We have secured the release of Shaibu Yusuf who protested climbing a mast in Abuja after a week of back & forth. Let me appreciate the collaborative effort of FCT CP, Bennett Igwe and FCT PRO @Jossy_Dannyking in this regard.
“CP Igwe & I are supporting Shaibu to start a POS biz. I must also thank the Welfare Department of FCT Social Development Unit,” Adeyanju stated.
LEADERSHIP recalls that Shaibu Yusuf had climbed Aso Radio and Television mast on Katampe Hill in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and threatened to commit suicide unless the Federal Government restores the fuel subsidy regime and end insecurity in the country.
The man who stated his demands on the placard placed on the foot of the mast before climbing to its peak, said he took the decision in the interest of other suffering Nigerians.
According to him, the government should also declare a state of emergency in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and Borno States over insecurity, and take immediate actions to clear terrorists in the states and the entire country.
Yusuf, who hails from Maiduguri in Borno State, called on the Federal Government to open borders for food importation to eradicate food shortages in the country.
“The government should immediately respond to the problem of out-of-school children which is increasing rapidly.
“These are the major Nigerian problems and I am ready to sacrifice my life for the solution to them. I am calling on fellow Nigerians to join me on this riot,” he stated on the placard.
It took the intervention of the acting Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), Mrs Florence Dawon Wenegieme, to convince Yusuf to come down from the mast.
Wenegieme promised him that his demands had been seen and that the Federal Government’s representatives who witnessed the scene would convey the message to President Bola Tinubu who would ensure that all his demands were met.
“I am very sure that you can come up with ideas and better solutions to see Nigeria through. You may be the person who will give the best advice to the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu.
“I am insisting that by staying alive, you can come up with the ideas. We have seen your cries and all that you have written. We have the Federal Government and the FCT administration well represented here and the press to make sure that this message goes viral, even to the grassroots.
“It will get to the Federal Government and the President’s table. We have those that can communicate with you directly in the language that you will understand,” she had told Yusuf before eventually came down and was subsequently picked up by the Police.
