Releasing Sambo Dasuki Is Dangerous – FG

The Federal Government has stated that the continued detention of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, is for his safety and that of Nigerians.

The government made the submission in response to a 24-hour order given to it by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court to justify Dasuki’s detention.

Dasuki, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his arrest in December, had dragged the Federal Government to the ECOWAS court to challenge his continued detention.

Counsel to the government, Dodo Kabiru, said releasing Dasuki would not be in the best interest of the country.

“The Federal Republic of Nigeria has justified, with the evidence it has placed before the court, the detention of the applicant on ground of his own safety, and for the safety of other Nigerians by virtue of the security report received by the DSS,” he said.

“The position of the defence, which is not controverted by the applicant, is that the arms and ammunition recovered during the search is not the only arms and ammunition in the possession of the applicant.

“There is fear that he has more. There is intelligence report that some are yet to be recovered. That we fear he has more is a ground to hold him. There are on-going investigations which are revealing fresh facts concerning him.

“The right of an individual cannot supersede the security of a country when there is intelligence report to suspect the conduct of the individual. The applicant did not deny that these guns were recovered from his house,” Kabiru added.

He argued that “By Section 3 of the Firearms Act, CAP F28 LFN 2004,” the Federal Government is justified to continue to hold Dasuki.

He said the section prescribes the arms that cannot be licensed for individual’s possession, pointing that the arms found in Dasuki’s house fall into this category of prohibited arms.