An aide to Architect Namadi Sambo and an eye witness have recounted to News Express how heavily armed team of operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) and those of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Wednesday raided the residence of the former Vice President in Kaduna.

Umar Sani, former media aide to Sambo, disclosed that the raid was the fifth in recent times by security operatives without getting anything.

He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of intimidating people to scare potential contenders in 2019.

Sani said: “This is not the first time they are searching the house. They have been coming to search the house on several occasions.

“Today they came with a court order and gave a copy of the court order to the Chief Security Officer in the house.

“After they finished the search, they wrote at the back page of the court order that they gave to the CSO that they didn’t find anything, and they left.

“So we are not surprised because it has now become a routine activity.”

Residents of the area said the operatives arrived the newly renovated residence of the former Vice President at No. 1, Alimi Road in Kaduna, around 3:07 p.m., conducted their search and left around 5:28 p.m.

“The heavily armed team came in a white Toyota Hilux, a Toyota Corolla and a Coaster bus, a Toyota Hilux van and a dark-coloured Toyota Corolla car around 3:00 p.m. and left around 5:00 p.m.

“The Corolla was parked outside as the operatives numbering up to ten conducted the search within the residence while the others waited outside,” Bala Musa, an eyewitness, said.

The operatives were said to have blocked the major road leading to the residence to ward off motorists and other passersby while other operatives were said to have gone into the residence, apparently for the search.