Embattled former Commissioner of Education in the old Kwara State Dr. David Atte has defered honouring his invitation by the Kogi State office of the Directorate of State Services, DSS.
Atte was scheduled for interrogation by operatives of the secret police over his comments on the recent visit of controversial Muslim Cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi to Kogi West and the deteriorating security situation in the area.
The Septuagenarian activist in a socio media message on Tuesday said he has not visited the DSS office as expected. He however assured that whenever he eventually honour the invitation, “it’s likely to be in a friendly and relaxed situation without any threat to my person and safety.”
He said since his invitation became public he has received overwhelming support from people across the Northcentral and southwest geopolitical zones disclosing that he had “received more phone calls in the last three days, than the last ten years put together.”
The former Kogi Governorship aspirant on the platform of the defunct Grassroots Democratic Movement, GDM confirmed he was hale , hearty and that the DSS has not hurt him in anyway.
“Ordinarily, in normal circumstances, invitation to visit the Office of the DSS should not have caused fear and anxiety at all. But things are no more ordinary in Nigeria, such that my invitation to visit the DSS invoked so much fear across the land.
“Most Nigerians feared that I might end up in the gulag, tortured or even lose my life. Thousands of people were praying and fasting for my safe return. Even at my age, I must confess that I shared such fears.
“Hundreds of people advised that I should not honour the invitation alone because no one could guarantee that I would be treated fairly and with decency. This is because of what Nigeria has become and it ought not be so. It is my prayer that Nigeria will return to a situation where THE PEOPLE WILL NO LONGER FEAR THAT THEIR OWN VERY GOVERNMENT WOULD HURT RATHER THAN PROTECT THEM.
