Former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, who was released on Friday
\nby the State Security Service, SSS, after a 24-hour siege on his Abuja
\nresidence, has accused the Muhammadu Buhari administration of witch hunt,
\nsaying he was badly treated despite his effort at being fair to all while
\nin office.<\/p>\n
Mr. Dasuki, who was removed from office last week, said his \u201crestraint\u201d
\nand fairness helped the Buhari\u2019s All Progressives Congress, APC-led
\ngovernment to power.<\/p>\n
He said the government is now desperate to nail him for unclear reasons,
\naccording to the Nation newspaper.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was fair to all as NSA. Even when I had security cause to act on some
\nissues, inflammatory comments and actions against the government of the
\nday by those in the opposition, I exercised restraint. I did not restrict
\nanyone\u2019s movement, I never asked security agents to occupy anybody\u2019s
\nhouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that is the new change we have, this is our own definition of
\ndemocracy. All I know is that everything has a beginning and an end in a
\ndemocracy. I gave my best for this transition, which led to the victory of
\nthe opposition over the ruling party,\u201d Mr. Dasuki said in an exclusive
\ninterview with the Nation.<\/p>\n
He condemned the SSS for also breaking into his father\u2019s house in his home
\nstate of Sokoto.<\/p>\n
The former NSA was held alongside a retired colonel, Bello Fadile, between
\nThursday and Friday.<\/p>\n
In the interview with the Nation, Mr. Dasuki recounted his experience, and
\nnarrated how more than a dozen SSS operatives in two trucks barred him
\nfrom leaving his house, and stopped other people from entering the
\nproperty for 24 hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe SSS operatives came in two trucks with a search warrant from a
\nMagistrate Court. The warrant gave them the power to search for illegal
\nweapons and any incriminating item. You can imagine what that is supposed
\nto mean,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI left office on Tuesday and they got the warrant on Wednesday and
\nexecuted it by 6pm on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom 6pm on Thursday, throughout the night till about 6am this morning
\n(Friday), they were searching my house looking for incriminating items.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey restricted my movement. I cannot go out and no one can visit me. All
\nthose who attempted to see me were stopped from doing so.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, my son was blocked from entering my residence. My two cooks, who
\nused to come from their homes to prepare my meals, were also disallowed
\nfrom leaving my house.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only person allowed was the man who feeds my dogs. And he only
\nrelated with the dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said by Friday morning, the personnel evacuated all the nine cars in
\nhis residence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could not go out to perform the Eid-el-Fitr prayer because of the
\nrestriction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven when I sought permission to go to Eid Praying ground, they promised
\nto provide a vehicle but they never did.\u201d
\nHe said the government is desperate about implicating him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just a witch-hunt; they are desperately looking for something to
\nimplicate me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey went to my father\u2019s house including breaking into the ceiling to
\nlook for incriminating documents. They broke a safe in my father\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, my sister kept a 20-year old box in my father\u2019s house, they also
\nforced it open. What has my father got to do with this?<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the old man is in hospital in London. He was shocked to hear that
\nthey broke into his house. The good thing is that they did not find
\nanything.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey brought the photocopy of a 2007 draft by my brother, Ahmed, and
\nasked me to comment on it. Was I in office in 2007 as NSA? You can see the
\nextent to which they are ready to go to implicate me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On the allegations against him regarding purchase of arms, funds for
\ncounter-insurgency and the seized $15million in South Africa, Mr. Dasuki
\nsaid: \u201cI read some of these allegations in The Nation but nobody has asked
\nme some of these things they are saying. I was not even in charge of some
\nof these things. How do I account for all?<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if you want me to respond to these issues, you have to give me access
\nto relevant documents. You do not need to restrict my movement. You can
\nsee that they are just out to set me up. Even if they find a knife in my
\nhouse, they will say it is incriminating.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some who should account 10 times for some of these allegations
\nthey are raising but they are walking about freely,\u201d he added.
\nMr. Dasuki said as a retired senior military officer and ex-NSA, he ought
\nto be better treated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody should know what is happening. They sent some low-level
\nofficers, looking for something to implicate me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is just a witch-hunt. If you want me to make clarifications on any
\nissue, in the spirit of democracy and the rule of Law, have the courtesy
\nto invite me and as a gentleman, I will honour the invitation. Sending two
\ntrucks to lay siege on my house and restrict my movement is just abysmal.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a man who left office on Tuesday, where will I run to? I have nothing
\nto fear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, who was released on Friday by the State Security Service, SSS, after a 24-hour siege on his Abuja residence, has accused the Muhammadu Buhari…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n