The Department of State Services has arrested a former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam.
This was made known on Thursday by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, which kicked against the arrest.
The PDP said there was no justification for the arrest of Suswam, adding that it was politically motivated.
Suswam was said to have been picked up on Tuesday by operatives of the DSS and had been held since.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday that the arrest of Suswam was to prevent him from attending a political meeting scheduled to hold in the North Central soon.
Ologbondiyan also alleged that the arrest was part of the plan by the Federal Government to clamp down on members of the opposition party, adding that an explosive was also allegedly planted at the secretariat of the party in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
He said: “The wicked clampdown has started.
“Only yesterday (Wednesday), we were made aware of the arrest and detention of former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, who has been kept incommunicado without access to his lawyers, while the Federal Government is not forthcoming with the details of the reasons behind the arrest and detention.
“However, we know that his arrest and detention is intended to put him out of circulation so that he will not take part in the mega meetings of our party planned for the North Central states.
“There are already fears that other opposition leaders and dissenting voices have been placed under watch and will be dragged in and framed up on security charges, so as to keep them out of circulation ahead of the elections.
“Nigerians are already aware of the alarm raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of alleged plots by the Buhari administration to frame, arrest and detain him indefinitely on trumped-up charges, ostensibly following his criticisms and open rejection of the administration for its failures and manifest misrule.
“The world is also aware of the numerous alleged plots by the Federal Government to frame up and humiliate Senate President Bukola Saraki, Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremmadu, Senators Dino Melaye and Shehu Sani, as well as Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his Ekiti State counterpart, Governor Ayo Fayose.
“Also, there are concerns about the safety of former Chief of Army Staff and former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd), following the fear expressed by Wike that Danjuma’s life might be in danger after his comments in March, this year, on possible complicity of the state in the killings in Taraba State.
“These attacks, threats and intimidation targeted at influential Nigerians, particularly past leaders, show clearly that the Buhari Presidency is very scared of its inevitable defeat in the 2019 general elections and now seek to apply all machinations to overheat the polity and ostensibly frustrate the process.”
