A Taraba State civic advocate, Abdulmumin Imam, has cried out over what he described as a clandestine move by the Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, to procure a multi-agency security order for his arrest following his persistent criticism of government inaction on the collapsed Namnai Bridge.
Imam, who has spent months documenting deaths, displacement and worsening humanitarian conditions around the collapsed bridge, said his only “offence” was exposing an alleged quiet diversion of the ₦16.5 billion approved by the Federal Executive Council for the emergency reconstruction of the bridge — a project that remains untouched 15 months after the disaster.
Family: “He Received No Invitation, No Summons, No Query — Nothing”
A family source told SaharaReporters on Thursday that the activist was never invited or contacted by the Police, DSS or Civil Defence before the alleged arrest order was issued.
“Everything was done behind closed doors. Abdulmumin has committed no crime,” the source said.
The Namnai Bridge, located on the Jalingo–Wukari axis, collapsed in August 2024. Despite FEC’s emergency approval, the site remains abandoned, with no contractors, no machines and no visible mobilisation by government.
The family source recounted multiple tragedies at the site, including the death of a pregnant woman and a toddler washed away in the river — whose body was never recovered.
“A whole community has been cut off. These are human tragedies, not politics,” the source added.
Imam: Minister Blocking Emergency Bridge Work, Lobbying for Road Project Instead
In a detailed Facebook post earlier this week, Imam accused Minister Uba Maigari Ahmadu of stalling the emergency reconstruction and allegedly lobbying for the ₦16.5bn to be redirected to a non-emergency concrete pavement project on the Namnai–Jalingo access road.
He wrote:
“LIVES ARE BEING LOST AT NAMNAI BRIDGE WHILE THIS EMERGENCY CONTRACT IS STALLED!
Why is Minister Uba Maigari Ahmadu sitting on the Namnai Bridge contract?”
Imam provided a timeline of approvals:
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August 2024: Bridge collapses.
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September 10, 2025: Emergency reconstruction contract awarded by the Ministry of Works to Wiz China Worldwide Engineering Ltd for ₦16.5bn (10 spans).
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BPP issues No-Objection, confirming it as an emergency procurement.
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Mobilisation was next — but suddenly halted.
According to Imam:
“Minister Uba rushed to Dave Umahi, lobbying to divert the ₦16.5bn meant for the emergency bridge to a non-emergency road project, while pushing for NEDC to take over the bridge project.”
He added that this alleged interference led to a second award dated October 28, 2025, for the access road — also valued at ₦16.5bn — while the bridge itself remains untouched.
“If the project had not been hijacked, the 10 piers would have been standing today,” Imam said.
“No Machines, No Staff, No Mobilisation” — Imam Describes a Deadly Void
Imam said locals now rely on sandbags and makeshift rafts to cross the river daily.
“Tarabans, ask yourselves: Is an access road more urgent than a collapsed bridge that has already claimed lives?”
He challenged the minister directly:
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Did President Tinubu approve the diversion?
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Why is Dave Umahi, from Ebonyi, more committed to Taraba than a minister representing Taraba at FEC?
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Why is an emergency bridge contract stalled while a non-emergency road project is progressing?
Official Documents Confirm Emergency Contract Was Approved
SaharaReporters obtained a letter dated September 10, 2025, signed by Dauda Ismaila Belel, Director of Public Procurement, on behalf of the Minister of Works.
The document confirms:
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Provisional award for emergency reconstruction of Nammai Bridge (10 spans).
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Value: ₦16,500,000,000 (including VAT).
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Conditions:
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Formal acceptance within five days
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Execution of legal contract
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Non-transferability
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Payment tied strictly to milestones
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Immediate liaison with engineers for commencement
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Emergency procurement subject to BPP certification
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Despite this, the bridge reconstruction remains abandoned.
Minister Unreachable as Concerns Mount
All efforts by SaharaReporters to reach Minister Uba Maigari Ahmadu for comments were unsuccessful as of press time.
This latest development has sparked new fears among civil society groups in Taraba, who warn that intimidating whistleblowers instead of fixing life-threatening infrastructure amounts to a dangerous abuse of office.
Tags:
Namnai Bridge, Taraba State, Abdulmumin Imam, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, Dave Umahi, Infrastructure Diversion, Human Tragedy, Emergency Procurement, Civic Activism
Meta Description:
Taraba activist Abdulmumin Imam alleges the Minister of State for Regional Development secretly ordered his arrest after he exposed the alleged diversion of ₦16.5bn approved for the emergency reconstruction of the collapsed Namnai Bridge.
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Godwin Okafor is the Publisher & CEO of Naija247news Media Group LLC, an independent investigative news platform delivering accurate, data-driven reporting on Nigerian and global politics, economy, finance, and business. Founded in October 2010, Naija247news specializes in developmental journalism, providing timely insights and analysis to readers across Nigeria and the diaspora.
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