ABUJA—The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and prominent Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi have condemned the arrest of former National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Director Yusuf Usman by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling it politically motivated.
In a statement issued by NEF spokesman Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the group claimed the arrest was an attempt to silence voices critical of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“The Northern Elders Forum received the news of the arbitrary arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, around 4:30 p.m. at his residence in Abuja by operatives of the EFCC. Professor Usman Yusuf is a distinguished personality with high-level credibility and unquestionable integrity,” the statement read.
NEF called for Usman’s immediate release, arguing that his detention was designed to suppress dissent and curtail democratic freedoms.
“It is a deliberate plan to silence and intimidate the political opposition and to reverse many of the democratic rights won by Nigerians over the years in the fight against dictatorship and all forms of human oppression,” the forum added.
Sheikh Gumi also criticized the arrest, warning Tinubu against allowing political sycophants to erode his goodwill.
“An arraignment of individuals on premises with an obvious smack of political vendetta is ill-advised at a time of national political uncertainty, economic crunch, and re-adjustments,” Gumi said.
The scholar vouched for Usman’s integrity, noting their long-standing association.
“I have known this gentleman for 49 years now, and all I can say about him is that he has been honest and an ardent advocate against injustice of whatever source or type since our university days in the ’70s,” he said. “President Tinubu should not allow sycophants in his administration to spoil his goodwill.”
