The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has arrested and detained Alwan Hassan, a former presidential aide and convener of the Grassroots Initiative Concept, days after he accused senior Senate officials of blocking the confirmation of Abdullahi Garba Ramat as the chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Hassan, an APC chieftain from Kano State, had responded to a police invitation and was taken into custody at the FCID in Abuja on Friday. Sources quoted by News Point Nigeria stated that he arrived at the FCID in the afternoon but still remained detained as of the time this report was filed.
No details on the petition or allegations for which he was taken into custody have been released, and none of his close associates or the police provided official information about the circumstances of his detention.
Hassan’s arrest came a few days after he openly accused the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, of deliberately blocking Ramat’s confirmation, even though the nominee was cleared by the Senate Committee on Power. He had claimed that the delay was rooted in personal and political motives.
He also claimed there was a demand from Senate officials for a $10 million bribe to confirm the nominees presented by NERC, an accusation that sparked outrage.
But the Senate quickly described his allegations as “baseless, malicious, and defamatory,” arguing that the screening and confirmation of commissioners for the NERC were transparent. The lawmakers went further to threaten litigation, accusing Hassan of trying to mislead the public and bring the National Assembly into disrepute. The police had yet to make an official statement as of the time of filing this report, and it remains unclear whether Hassan’s arrest is directly connected to his recent allegations.
