By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The death of Mallam Isa Funtua, President Muhammadu Buhari’s bossom friend and confidant on Monday has sparked off a Twitter war between the publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore, and the presidency.
Sowore who was arrested by the Department of State Security (DSS) last year and detained over his call for a revolution which the Federal Governmnet branded treasonable took to his twitter handle to narrate a botched attempt by the late Funtua, Mr. Sam Amuka, publisher of Vanguard newspapers, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, publisher of Thisday newspapers, and Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, to negotiate his freedom on the condition that he renounced his activism.
But Sowore said he rebuffed the move and frowned at the fact that his lawyer, Femi Falana, was not contacted.
Disclosing that he ‘clashed’ with Funtua during the meeting, Sowore wrote:
“They said they had come to discuss my freedom from detention while I thanked them for their kind intervention, I made it clear that it was wrong to come meet with me in detention without first consulting with my lawyer, Femi Falana, we already in court challenging my unjust detention, but Isa Funtua, haughty and condescending, was dismissive, he started berating my lawyer claiming he’s only “grandstanding” and to me he stated with a note of finality, “you can’t defeat the government.”
“I was enraged, and told him, “well you are about to find out that the people can defeat any government no matter how powerful you guys think you’re.” “As we argued back and forth, Nduka intervened and took me to an anteroom in the office of the DO and pleaded that I shouldn’t argue with the old man that I should just play along and get released.”
“I repeated to him that I’d considered the consequences of my actions and I am not interested in negotiating my liberty with anyone. I asked him why he didn’t think it was necessary to contact my attorneys before embarking on such a mission, he said he will get to Femi Falana and that’s was the end of my encounter with the team!”
But in a swift reaction, the presidency accused him of doctoring the facts.
Garba Shehu, one of the four in the Funtua-led delegation issued a strong rebuttal.
In a series of tweets titled, ISMA’ILA ISA: SOWORE HAS NOTHING TO GAIN BY ATTACKING A DEAD SOUL, Shehu said the aborted mission was a private initiative that had nothing to do with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
“Let’s get the facts straight on the meeting with Sowore in SSS detention,” he wrote on his confirmed twitter handle.
“First, it is important to state that the meeting was not instructed by the government. Nobody sent anybody to go and “negotiate” Sowore’s freedom as he put it.
“The late Malam Isma’ila, on his own called me to ask that I broker a meeting with him and two others with the SSS, which they agreed to.
“It is important that I state that it was the force of Malam Isma’ila’s argument that made the meeting possible.
“Vanguard Newspapers publisher, Sam Amuka and ThisDay Publisher and President, Nigerian Press Organisation, Nduka Obaigbena, all agreed that Sowore was a “rascal”, who had used his newspaper “to abuse all of us,” but agreed, nonetheless to go and press for his release.
“As the late Isma’ila put it, although he (Sowore) got into his problems due to politics, not journalism the fact of him being a publisher imposed a duty on the media leaders to seek ways of making him free.
“The meeting ended well, and contrary to the posturing by Sowore, he said he was happy with a resolution proposed but that his lawyer, whoever that was, needed to come on board.
“The fence mending process, apparently collapsed after the meeting of the trio with the lawyer in Lagos.
“I don’t know what Sowore wants to achieve by distorting the facts of what transpired, but my advice to him is that he should stop his attacks on a dead, well-meaning intercessor.
“Knowing the way the secret service works, it should surprise no one if they keep a recording of that meeting.
“Faced with this posturing and the unfair attacks on the dead, we certainly will be forced to ask for the release of tapes, in case they are available for the public to judge.”
But in a counter punch also on tweeter, Sowore dismissed the visit as a hatchet job.
Addressing Garba Shehu, he wrote, “Why can’t you be honest for once in your life, when you came to meet meet me in detention what was your intention, what would have constituted the conditions for my release? Who would have ordered my release, Isa Funtua? What powers did Funtua have to get me released?
“Glad you admitted you led a delegation to meet me in DSS detention because the delegates said you arranged it.
“It is very true that I was nice to your team because you weren’t my problem, you were just an errand boy. In fact I patted you on the back saying I had never met you before you were respectful but I knew you were there on a hatchet job.”
