Nigerians were shocked on July 17, 2015 when news
broke out that some officers of the Directorate Of Secret Security
Service lay siege at the Asokoro, Abuja residence of Col. Sambo Dasuki (Rtd)
just 24 hours after he was sacked as the National Security Adviser (NSA) by
President Muhammadu Buhari. Flash back to January 2015, in Chattam House In
London, when the then National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan
prophesied what will turn out to manifest (postponement of elections in
February as earlier planned due to Insurgency in the north east). Before then,
Dasuki had made the following statements on assuming office in June 2012,
" I was in Yobe and Borno States last week and I have got the "Telephone
Numbers" of "Key Boko Haram Members" and I will meet with
them." This was the first time a government security official was making
such public statements concerning his closeness to the members of Boko Haram
Sect. Fast forward to three years when he was sacked and you will find out that
Boko Haram metamorphosed killing more than 3000 innocent people and
still counting mostly in bomb blast explosions. For clarity sake, Col Sambo
Dasuki (Rtd) is the first son of Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, the 18th Sultan of
Sokoto, who was deposed by the Abacha government. Major Sambo Dasuki
(then a Major) actively participated in the December 1983 Coup d'état that
overthrew Alhaji Shehu Shagari and installed Major General Muhammadu
Buhari as the Head Of State Of Nigeria and also the 1985 Salah coup d'état that
subsequently overthrew and arrested General Muhammadu Buhari, Installing
General Ibrahim Babangida as Head of State.Dasuki also replaced brother in law Aliyu Gusau as the NSA at a time insurgency was at it's infancy and was on seat when the Chibok girls were kidnapped and taken captive in 2014. During his regime as the NSA, Nigeria had the highest bomb blast explosion casualty with the Nyanya and Abuja Banex Plaza explosion amongst the list. Dasuki was bent on advocating for "Negotiation" with the boko haram and on several occasions championed that negotiating with the terrorists is the only solution.
Dasuki was also the NSA at the time Nigerian soldiers complained that their salaries were being withheld, and given old fashioned military equipments to curtain insurgents that used far much improved and improved military equipments. He was accused of purchasing some refurbished MI Helicorpters for the Nigerian Airforce claiming that it was new from Belarus at $15 million, after which some crashed and killed several pilots.
Dasuki also purchased UAV Drones (Substandard) from China at a high cost of $16.5 million each of which one crashed on it's first flight in Borno State (Mafa Village).
Dasuki again installed a Command and Control Centre in his office at the cost of $80 million which was done by an Israeli Firm named NICE, while the market value of installation was $15 million then. This is strange, considering that he is not entitled to an 'Operational Office' by law as he is on an advisory role to the President on issues bothering on Security and Intelligence. The list doesn't end without mentioning the role he played in the $15 million smuggled and seized Nigerian fund in South Africa on September 5, 2014.
Every individual is innocent until proven guilty by the law court even with a million charges and Dasuki falls into this category. The problem is that Men who presided over Security Operations in Nigeria in the last years deserve special investigation because of the rot in Nigerian Security Agencies and hence there is nothing wrong if the DSS invaded his home for questioning and interrogation. It is even better for understanding, because the DSS went with a 'Search Warrant'. What should be condemned by all is the overzealous activities of this officers who now arrested him placing him on house arrest for hours without a ' Warrant of Arrest'. This is terrible and should not be tolerated because due process must be followed in all operations in the country. It is wrong for Nigerians to say the DSS should have invited him instead of invading his home, because naive Nigerians cannot tell security experts on how to carry out their operations on this particular issue There comes a time when suspects are invaded and times they are invited and each scenario is dictated by the security officers and not citizens. That Dasuki was amongst those that placed the President under house arrest in 1983, hence is being witch hunted smacks nothing but naivety and ignorance because the issue at hand is about his activities as NSA and about being aide de camp to then Head of State Ibrahim Babangida.
Dasuki should also explain what he was doing with the $40,000 cash found in his house, when the government at all level are complaining of an empty treasury of which he was a significant part of and at a time workers salaries are being owed.
It is clear at this early stage that Col. Sambo Dasuki has lots of questions to answer and no Nigerian should try to politicalise the issue. It is easier because Dasuki is from the same region with President Buhari (because if he was from the South, it would have turned to a case of North versus South) showing how political Nigerians can be. At the same time , Dasuki is innocent until proven guilty but it's a good thing, the fight against corruption is started in Nigeria after years of negligence.
1 comment:
What goes around, does comes around....
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