Senator Hassan Barata, a former chairperson of Senate committee on culture and tourism, has been arrested in Saudi Arabia.
The Nation reports that during the interrogation Brata said that he was an employee of the Nigerian Embassy. However, the police found out that his claim was false. According to sources, the senator, who travelled to the United Kingdom a few weeks ago, may have overstayed when he was picked up. He was reportedly holding an official passport on the trip.
Senator Barata represented Adamawa South in the sixth Senate, having been elected in 2011 on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Last February he defected to the All Progressives Congress but returned to the PDP after losing his bid to pick the governorship ticket. Earlier this week, the Nigerian Immigration Service instructed former public office holders to immediately submit official and diplomatic passports issued to them while they were in office.
The federal government’s decision was intended to protect and promote Nigeria’s integrity in the comity of nations in addition to ensuring law and order.
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