Release Sambo Dasuki Now, Family Urges Buhari
Appeals to President to respect rule of law
The Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki Progressive Association (SIDPA), on behalf of the members of Sultan Dasuki family, yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to release former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) from detention.
The federal government is holding Dasuki in custody exactly two years yesterday, since he was arrested by men of the Department of State Service (DSS) at the Kuje Prisons shortly after he perfected the bail conditions granted him by the courts.
Since his arrest by the DSS, the former NSA has not been allowed to enjoy his bail and had to attend trial from custody.
Addressing journalists at the NUJ Press Centre, Sokoto, SIDPA’s Secretary General, Comrade Kabir Auwal, reminded Buhari of the need to respect the rule of law in the case of Dasuki.
He noted that Dasuki had remained in detention despite being granted bail by the courts in the country.
Auwal wondered why the federal government refused to release him despite the court order.
"Today is two years since the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki was arrested and re-arrested in December 2015 after securing his bail condition but ignored by the federal government.
"Since his incarceration, Dasuki has been arraigned before four federal courts which granted him bail, while the ECOWAS court, a sub-regional court not only ordered that the federal government should release him immediately but also order his compensation to the tune of N15 million.
"The agents of the federal government, especially Department of State Service (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have refused to obey any of the court orders," he said.
He stated that members of the Dasuki family had deliberately remained silence on his ordeals and persecution, hoping that rule of law would be adhered to.
"But surprisingly, over two years after Sambo Dasuki was unlawfully and illegally detained without any court order or warrant, he has been subjected to media trial, scandalised and humiliated not through any court of justice but from the propaganda of the current administration through media trials of falsehood.
"In spite of Dasuki’s contribution in taming insecurity in the country, he has been the most maligned public officer through naked falsehood that tends to portray him as a corrupt person. He has served the nation with best of intentions, yet, he remains the only public officer that has remained in detention in the last two years; the only officer that has been granted bail by four courts.
"Since we are not in a military junta but a democracy, Nigeria’s constitution should not be turned to military decree by which rights of citizens are trampled upon without question. We strongly call on the federal government to respect the rule of law and allow Dasuki to enjoy his bail, except if the intention of government is to kill him in detention," he stressed.
He therefore, called on the Federal Government to release Dasuki on bail in compliance with the rulings of courts while it continues with the case in open court rather than in secret.
Citizens Initiative for Security Awareness Demands Immediate Release of Dasuki
Also yesterday, a civil society group known as Citizens Initiative for Security Awareness (CISA), demanded for the immediate and unconditional release of Dasuki.
According to the group's Director of mobilization, Ewache Ajefu, Dasuki remains the only public officer in the custody of government even after he had been granted bail by three High Courts in the corruption changes brought against him by the federal government.
"We recall that Justice Adetokunbo Ademola and Justice Mohammed of the Federal High Court, as well as Justice Baba Yusuf and Justice Peter Afem of the FCT High Courts, had considered the merit of his applications and granted him bail.
"In the same vein, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, after listening to the case, ordered for his immediate release with compensation of N15million for the unlawful and illegal detentions. Despite these orders by these courts of competent jurisdictions, this government has inexplicably kept him behind bars", he said.
Ajefu said that the detention of Dasuki was worrisome and disturbing not only to the Nigerian people but the international community because there was no single court order or warrant of arrest to justify the action of government against the detainee who has been in the custody since December 29, 2015.
Besides, the group also called on well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on government to allow the rule of law flow in the trial of the ex NSA in the interest of justice.
"It is therefore the contention of CISA that since the offences for which he is detained and has suffered these humiliations do not border on treason, Mr. Dasuki should be given the opportunity to state his own side of the story in the court of law, so that if he is eventually found guilty, let the law properly take its course.
"We believe that it is no longer tenable to keep him behind bars ad infinitum on the whims of whoever is keeping him.
"He is entering the third year in detention, and unless it is the plan of President Buhari to keep him out of circulation for the entire period of his four-year term, we of CISA, demand his immediate release and urge men and women of goodwill to join us in making this fair demand," they argued.