GORDON OBUA FORMER CSO OF JONATHAN REFUTES RUMOURS OF DEATH.

The Chief Security Officer of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Gordon Obua, has refuted rumours that he had died.

Mr. Obua was rumoured to have passed away in the custody of State Security Services. He is a staff of the organisation, and was detained last week.

Mr. Obua’s lawyer said Monday that the former president’s chief guard was in poor health and was held for no clear reasons and without a charge.

Reports later claimed Mr. Obua was dead.

The SSS presented Mr. Obua to the media Tuesday.

Speaking at the press conference at the SSS office in Abuja, Mr. Obua said he was hale and hearty, and that he was treated with dignity by the management and staff of SSS.

“I thank Nigerians and members of my family who have expressed very serious concern about my wellbeing in the last six days,” he said. “I want to use this medium to tell Nigerians and members of my family that I am hale and hearty.”

He also said, “As a serving officer of DSS and having completed my duty tour with the last President, the service felt that I should give a briefing of my stewardship.”

He said Nigeria should assume that the security body is a responsible agency and nothing will happen to him if he is not found guilty of allegations against him.

“I am a serving staff of DSS and I have limitations regarding speaking with the press. I thank the Director General of DSS for the way that I have been treated so far,” he said.

Mr. Obua’s lawyer, Andrew Itsekiri, had earlier asked the Director General of the SSS, Lawan Daura, to either charge Mr. Obuah to court or release him without further delay.

In a statement, Mr. Itsekiri said his continued detention by the SSS placed life-threatening strain on his health.

He said Mr. Obua, who is diabetic and has a serious case of high blood pressure is being “sadistically” denied water, food and life sustaining medications.

Mr. Itsekiri also said family members and friends of Mr. Obua have been prevented from seeing him.

Mr. Itsekiri explained that Mr. Obua’s ordeal began a week before he was detained by the SSS. He said Mr. Daura told his client to report daily to the SSS headquarters for questioning over an allegation, the nature of which was never disclosed to him.

He said he was eventually detained last Thursday after he showed up at the SSS office for the daily questioning. Mr. Itsekiri explained that before Mr. Obua was finally detained, Mr. Daura had asked him if Mr. Obua wanted him to personally investigate him or delegate a junior officer to do so.