By Salim Yunusa
Alhaji Mahdi Shehu, the Kaduna State-based businessman and whistleblower of Katsina State Government’s alleged corrupt practices, who had been missing for days has been located at zone 3 police station, Abuja.
Shehu’s ordeal started in 2020 when he asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Governor Aminu Masari and Inuwa for alleged misappropriation and misapplication of over N52 billion spent as security vote in the state from June 2015 to April 29, 2020. Shehu has been in police custody for almost ten days after Nigerian police arrested him and whisked him away without informing his relatives.
The businessman gained popularity after the allegations he made against the Katsina State government of financial mismanagement, while many more must have known him simply as ‘Mahdi Dialogue’ – a name he earned after his chain of Dialogue businesses.
But there has been concern over his whereabouts and also rising alarm over his safety. His sudden disappearance has prompted the search of many concerned individuals.
In an interview with SAHELIAN TIMES, Zainab Marshall, confirmed that she has searched many police stations in Abuja and asked people in other states to help look for the embattled activist before they located him.
“We spent days looking for him at Abuja and other states before we knew his whereabout here in Abuja”
He has been detained for many days which is against his rights and his lawyers ran to sought for a court order to release him and the High Court in Abuja slated today Friday 26th February for hearing, but unfortunately one former Nigerian judge passed away yesterday and that forced the court to postponed the sitting to Monday next week”.
Zainab said they where shocked and concerned over his disappearance, lamenting that a repeat of Dadiyata case maybe in the offing, another social media critic who is still missing in Nigeria for almost 2 years.
“We don’t want to repeat another Dadiyata, because he’s still missing for almost two years and no one even cares about him,” she lamented.
Shehu was detained by the police in Abuja on November 25, 2020 last year and was allegedly bitten by a snake on November 25, 2020 in police custody.
In December last year, his family expressed fear for his life because they had not heard from him since his detention by the police.
The embattled whistle-blower was being accused by the state government for “forgery, injurious criminal defamation and character assassination.”
Shehu is expected to get bail on Monday when court considers his court order demanding Nigerian police to release him from unlawful detention.
