The Federal Government yesterday told the ECOWAS Court sitting in Abuja that a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki, is being kept in custody for his own personal safety.
The court has, however, fixed June 29 to deliver judgement in the enforcement of fundamental human rights suit filed by Dasuki against the Federal Government over his continued detention since December 2015.
This was just as the DSS admitted before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that no weapon was found in Dasuki’s Guest House. Dasuki had, in his argument before the ECOWAS court, submitted that it is unlawful for the Federal Government to continue to detain him despite several court orders admitting him to bail. Justifying Dasuki’s detention, an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), Williams Obiora, told the court that the former NSA was arrested and kept in custody for two reasons.
The prosecution further claimed that the ex-NSA was being kept in the DSS custody for his personal security in view of allegations against him on arms purchase and to also prevent him from possible escape from justice. “There are two basic reasons why he is still in our custody. One, for his own interest, because some of the politicians implicated in the arms deal from the intelligence available to us… (he paused).
“Two, there is intelligence indicating that he can get out of this country, thereby evading justice. These are the two main reasons. “In the course of the search, some of the suspected items that took us to the house were recovered.
These include 5 Tavor Assault Rifles and others,” he said.
On whether Dasuki requested DSS for protection, Obiora said he was not aware as to whether Dasuki made any such request. “He does not need to make a request before we give him protection if his life is in danger and we owe him a responsibility to ensure he suffers no harm,” he added.
He, however, admitted that Dasuki’s detention was not pursuant to any judicial proceedings. The court had, on Wednesday, listened to Dasuki’s argument in the matter.
After listening to the submissions of the Federal Government, the presiding judge, Justice Friday Nwoke, fixed judgement till June 29.
In a related development, another Federal Government witness had told the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that no weapon was found in the Guest House of Dasuki when it was searched by the operatives of the DSS last year.
At the resumed trial of Dasuki on charges of unlawful possession of firearms, the government witness, Samuel Ogbu, who was under cross examination, confirmed to the court that no incriminating items was found in the guest house by the security agents.
Ogbu, who is an operative of DSS, was cross-examined by counsel to Dasuki, Ahmed Raji (SAN) and insisted that the only weapon recovered was in the house of the ex-NSA. The trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, later adjourned till June 8 and 9 for further trial.
