Yuceelanda.com
Abuja (AFP) – Nigeria’s former national security
advisor remains in custody as he is under
investigation for alleged offences committed
decades ago when he was an army officer, a
state prosecutor said Thursday.
Sambo Dasuki is already facing three trials with
a slew of charges in connection with looting
billions of dollars that were supposed to go
towards fighting Boko Haram Islamists.
He is one of just 55 people the Nigerian
government claims stole more than $6 billion
between 2006 and 2013, leaving Africa’s biggest
economy reeling in the wake of the global oil
price plunge.
But despite being granted bail in December,
Dasuki has been kept in custody by Nigeria’s
intelligence agency, the Department of State
Services (DSS), without access to his legal
counsel.
Prosecutor Rotimi Jacobs told an Abuja court
that Dasuki was rearrested because the
government is investigating an “alleged breach of
service law” when he was serving as a colonel in
the army before his retirement in 1994.
Defence lawyer Joseph Daudu said Dasuki — a
powerful member of former president Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration — is being denied the
right to a fair trial and that all three cases
against him should be dismissed.
“There’s really no way he can get a fair trial in
the circumstances,” Daudu said to AFP, vowing
if necessary to take the matter to the Supreme
Court.
Dasuki is rumoured to have arrested
Muhammadu Buhari at gunpoint when he was
overthrown in a 1985 coup after serving nearly
two years as head of a military government.
Daudu said that Dasuki will neither “confirm or
deny” that rumour, but added there is “no love
lost” between his client and Buhari, now
Nigeria’s elected president.
Political analyst Chris Ngwodo said that far from
settling old grievances, the ultimate reason for
Dasuki’s continued incarceration is that the
government is struggling to stitch together its
case against him.
“What is the most important thing for them is for
him to be in custody, they do not want to make
him free,” Ngwodo said.
“So they are resorting to somewhat underhanded
tactics,” Ngwodo said. “What they will keep doing
is finding fresh ways of holding him in custody
until they can fine tune their case.”
Abuja (AFP) – Nigeria’s former national security
advisor remains in custody as he is under
investigation for alleged offences committed
decades ago when he was an army officer, a
state prosecutor said Thursday.
Sambo Dasuki is already facing three trials with
a slew of charges in connection with looting
billions of dollars that were supposed to go
towards fighting Boko Haram Islamists.
He is one of just 55 people the Nigerian
government claims stole more than $6 billion
between 2006 and 2013, leaving Africa’s biggest
economy reeling in the wake of the global oil
price plunge.
But despite being granted bail in December,
Dasuki has been kept in custody by Nigeria’s
intelligence agency, the Department of State
Services (DSS), without access to his legal
counsel.
Prosecutor Rotimi Jacobs told an Abuja court
that Dasuki was rearrested because the
government is investigating an “alleged breach of
service law” when he was serving as a colonel in
the army before his retirement in 1994.
Defence lawyer Joseph Daudu said Dasuki — a
powerful member of former president Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration — is being denied the
right to a fair trial and that all three cases
against him should be dismissed.
“There’s really no way he can get a fair trial in
the circumstances,” Daudu said to AFP, vowing
if necessary to take the matter to the Supreme
Court.
Dasuki is rumoured to have arrested
Muhammadu Buhari at gunpoint when he was
overthrown in a 1985 coup after serving nearly
two years as head of a military government.
Daudu said that Dasuki will neither “confirm or
deny” that rumour, but added there is “no love
lost” between his client and Buhari, now
Nigeria’s elected president.
Political analyst Chris Ngwodo said that far from
settling old grievances, the ultimate reason for
Dasuki’s continued incarceration is that the
government is struggling to stitch together its
case against him.
“What is the most important thing for them is for
him to be in custody, they do not want to make
him free,” Ngwodo said.
“So they are resorting to somewhat underhanded
tactics,” Ngwodo said. “What they will keep doing
is finding fresh ways of holding him in custody
until they can fine tune their case.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
DROP A MESSAGE