|By Adejumo Adekunle-
-Ex-NHIS Boss Accuses Tinubu Government of Silencing Critics
–Says Detention Aimed at Crushing Opposition and Free Speech
Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Usman Yusuf, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deliberately silencing critics and stifling opposition voices across the country.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Sunday, Yusuf said his recent detention was not only unlawful but a calculated move to intimidate and discourage dissent against the government’s policies.
“This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up. I spent six days at the EFCC and 24 days in Kuje prison — all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced,” Yusuf stated.
In February, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Yusuf on a five-count charge of alleged fraud. He pleaded not guilty before Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
Recalling his arrest, Yusuf narrated that on January 29, men identifying themselves as EFCC operatives stormed his home without presenting an arrest warrant.
“At about 6:30 PM, some gentlemen just walked into my house without knocking. They claimed I was expecting them and said they were from the EFCC. They prevented me from changing my clothes and stopped my wife from bringing alternative clothing,” he recounted.
Inside the bus to detention, Yusuf said he was sandwiched between an armed officer and a young operative who high-fived each other like they had captured a notorious criminal.
Yusuf spent six days in EFCC custody and an additional 24 days in Kuje prison after his bail application was delayed due to the judge’s illness.
“Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right, except in capital offences or terrorism cases, and mine was neither,” he emphasized.
Labeling his time in prison as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection,” Yusuf said the ordeal only hardened his resolve to keep speaking against bad governance.
He sharply criticized Tinubu for allegedly betraying the democratic values he once championed during his days as a NADECO activist.
“This is coming from a president who himself fled the country to escape dictatorship. Criticising a government in a democracy is the legitimate right of every citizen. Now, Tinubu is trying to turn Nigeria into a one-party dictatorial state. We are not going to let that happen,” Yusuf declared.
Yusuf was appointed NHIS Executive Secretary in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, but was later suspended over allegations of corruption in 2017 and officially removed from office in 2019.
