Security operatives in Abuja on Tuesday released the 15 Abuja cattle dealers, seven months after they were arrested in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Daily Trust reports that the people went to the state in the early month of May, where they were billed to buy about 700 cows meant for distribution to vulnerable people there during the past Eid-el Kabir Sallah celebration.
The exercise, which was sponsored by a charitable organisation, including in some northern states, couldn’t however take place in the as the result of the incident.
The cattle bought by the cattle dealers, as well as the remaining cash in their possession, were also reportedly confiscated by the army during the arrest.
Confirming their release on Wednesday, their lawyer Barrister Abdulwahab Aliyu, disclosed that his clients were released by the officials of the DSS in Abuja, who continued to keep the people in their custody after they were transferred to them by the army on November 29.
Barrister Aliyu said “The DSS had initially informed us about the whereabouts of our clients four days after they were transferred to them. Following that, we were allowed to meet them in about three. Then they called us on Tuesday to hand them over to us,” he stated.
The lawyer noted that they are now waiting for the army to comply with the other court directives that, according to him, include “releasing the sum of N88 million along with a number of cattle confiscated from them, or a certain amount of money in the absence of the animals, among other damages.”
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