Family Marks Dasuki’s Two-Year in Detention, Tells Buhari It’s Time To Release Him

Family Marks Dasuki’s Two-Year in Detention, Tells Buhari It’s Time To Release Him

Family members of a former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Retd.), have lambasted the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government for incarcerating him despite court orders granting him bail.

The family, under the Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki Progressive Association of Dogon Daji House, Sokoto State, spoke with newsmen on Friday, noting that the Federal Government should “immediately release” Dasuki, except its intention was to kill him.

The press briefing was in commemoration of the ex-NSA’s two years in detention.

It will be recalled that Dasuki was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services and has been in custody since December 29, 2015.

In a statement signed by Kabir Auwal, who is also Secretary of the Sultan Dasuki Association, the family said the ex-NSA had been arraigned before four federal courts which granted him bail, “while the Economic Community of West African States’ court also ordered his release and that he should be paid N15m compensation, but the Federal Government refused to obey any of the court orders.”

Auwal said, “The association on behalf of the entire Sultan Dasuki family wishes to request the Federal Government, under the leadership of Muhammadu Buhari, to respect the rule of law in the case of our son, brother, cousin and former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and release him from detention.

“Surprisingly, in over two years that Dasuki was detained without any court order or warrant, he has been subjected to media trial, scandalised, criminalised, insulted and humiliated through the propaganda of the current administration.”

The statement added, “The FG’s sheer disregard for the rule of law in the last two years has become worrisome to the family. The disregard by the government agencies could not be without the approval of President Buhari which is most painful.

“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. We therefore call on the Federal Government to release Dasuki on bail in compliance with the rulings of our competent courts while it continues with the cases in open court.”

When contacted, a Presidency official directed Saturday PUNCH to contact the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, for comment. But Malami neither answered one of our correspondents’ telephone calls nor responded to a text message seeking his comment on the matter.