The former National Security Adviser, Mr. Sambo Dasuki,
yesterday raised an alarm over what he saw as a plot by the
State Security Service (SSS) to implicate him in alleged
security breaches.
He said Nigerians should know that the invasion of his
house by the SSS was a sheer witch-hunt. He said it was
sad that the operatives of the security agency broke into his
ailing father’s house in Sokoto and broke his safe.
Dasuki, who spoke exclusively with the Nation
correspondent on the phone yesterday, said he did not
deserve such treatment because as the National Security
Adviser he did not maltreat any Nigerian.
He said he was subjected to a 12-hour ordeal from 6pm on
Thursday till 6am on Friday.
He said:
“The SSS operatives came in two trucks with a
search warrant from a Magistrate Court. The
warrant gave them the power to search for ‘illegal
weapons and any incriminating item.’ You can
imagine what that is supposed to mean.
“I left office on Tuesday and they got the warrant on
Wednesday and executed it by 6pm on Thursday.
“From 6pm on Thursday, throughout the night till
about 6am this morning (Friday), they were
searching my house looking for incriminating items.
“They restricted my movement. I cannot go out and
no one can visit me. All those who attempted to see
me were stopped from doing so.
“In fact, my son was blocked from entering my
residence. My two cooks, who used to come from
their homes to prepare my meals, were also
disallowed from leaving my house.
“The only person allowed was the man who feeds
my dogs. And he only related with the dogs.
“By Friday morning, they packed away all the nine
cars in my residence. I could not go out to perform
the Eid-el-Fitr prayer because of the restriction.
Even when I sought permission to go to Eid Praying Ground,
they promised to provide a vehicle but they never did.”
He added:
“This is just a witch-hunt; they are desperately
looking for something to implicate me.
“They went to my father’s house including breaking
into the ceiling to look for incriminating documents.
They broke a safe in my father’s house.
“Also, my sister kept a 20-year old box in my
father’s house, they also forced it open. What has
my father got to do with this?
“And the old man is in hospital in London. He was
shocked to hear that they broke into his house. The
good thing is that they did not find anything.
“They brought the photocopy of a 2007 draft by my
brother, Ahmed, and asked me to comment on it.
Was I in office in 2007 as NSA? You can see the
extent to which they are ready to go to implicate
me,” he said.
The State Security operatives yesterday also confiscated
his international passport and $40,000 cash found in his
house.
They retrieved 3 rifles which were being used by members
of the protective team while in office.
The disengagement of the Protective team was yet to be
completed yesterday but the SSS asked him to explain how
he came about the rifles.
However, at about 6 pm yesterday, SSS operatives were
withdrawn from his residence.
Dasuki’s movement remains however restricted to
within the country as his traveling documents are now with
the SSS.
According to findings, the SSS team obtained statement
from him from about 1 hour.
A source said:
“They seized the ex-NSA passport and raised issues
on how he came about the $40,000 in his house.
They went to the extent of asking him to give the
details of how he came about the cash.
“On the rifles, they repeatedly questioned him on
what he was doing with them. He took time to
explain that they belong to members of the
Protective Team guarding him. They became
excited as if they had found an evidence against
him.
“I think by the time the case gets to a court,
Nigerians will know the truth or otherwise of their
findings.
In regards to the allegations against him, about the
purchase of arms, funds for counter-insurgency and the
seized $15million in South Africa , Dasuki said:
“I read some of these allegations in The Nation but
nobody has asked me some of these things they are
saying. I was not even in charge of some of these
things. How do I account for all?
“And if you want me to respond to these issues, you
have to give me access to relevant documents. You
do not need to restrict my movement. You can see
that they are just out to set me up. Even if they find
a knife in my house, they will say it is
incriminating.”
“There are some who should account 10 times for
some of these allegations they are raising but they
are walking about freely, ” he added.
Dasuki, who sounded confident on the phone, said as a
retired senior military officer and ex-NSA, he ought to be
better treated.
“Everybody should know what is happening. They
sent some low-level officers, looking for something
to implicate me.
“It is just a witch-hunt. If you want me to make
clarifications on any issue, in the spirit of
democracy and the rule of Law, have the courtesy to
invite me and as a gentleman, I will honour the
invitation. Sending two trucks to lay siege on my
house and restrict my movement is just abysmal.
“For a man who left office on Tuesday, where will I
run to? I have nothing to fear.”
The former NSA said he was unfairly treated by the SSS
because when he was in charge of the nation’s security, he
was “cautious, careful and fair" in his approach.
He added:
“I was fair to all as NSA. Even when I had security
cause to act on some issues, inflammatory
comments and actions against the government of
the day by those in the opposition, I exercised
restraint. I did not restrict anyone’s movement, I
never asked security agents to occupy anybody’s
house.
“But that is the new change we have, this is our own
definition of democracy. All I know is that everything
has a beginning and an end in a democracy. I gave
my best for this transition, which led to the victory
of the opposition over the ruling party.
The Nation
