I don’t deserve this from APC because I helped them to power, says ex-NSA Dasuki
Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA) whose Abuja residence was occupied for 24 hours by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), says he does not deserve the treatment being meted out to him by the APC-led government.
In an interview with The Nation, he said his actions as NSA helped the party’s victory in the 2015 general election.
Describing what transpired during the siege on his house, the retired colonel said the current administration is not according him the right that he deserves.
“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,” he said.
“I gave my best for this transition, which led to the victory of the opposition over the ruling party. 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.
“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.
“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 denied involvement in any deal that could warrant the ordeal, alleging that some individuals who deserved being questioned are “walking freely”.
“There are some who should account 10 times for some of these allegations they are raising but they are walking about freely,” he said.
“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.
“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.
“For a man who left office on Tuesday, where will I run to? I have nothing to fear.”
Before vacating his residence, the SSS seized his international passport and some documents.
While it is easy to dismiss Dasuki as one who cries when the evil wind that he sowed blows in his own face, we must remember the importance of the rule of law.
In their time, such actions were commonplace, and the DSS/SSS were allowed to run amok in the nation. Change has come though, and we need to do away with lawlessness and impunity, even when dealing with those that created it.
May God bless Nigeria; amen.
Viva New Nigeria!
You are on point. Two wrongs as the saying goes do not make a wright. Change should follow the rule of law and not the ruler of the law. Whatever Dasuki has done wrong, he should be investigated before being invited to defend his actions. This is nothing more than harassment and intimidation which this government should not be doing.
warrant, and executing that, amount to impunity? Sambo himself agreed that they have a search warrant.Or does being a former NSA give hime a life long immunity, thus he can’t be investigated for wrong doing no matter what? Noooo
So obtaining a legitimate court search warrant, and executing that, amount to impunity? Sambo himself agreed that they have a search warrant.Or does being a former NSA give hime a life long immunity, thus he can’t be investigated for wrong doing no matter what? Haba Oga Sir!
It was issued by a ‘magistrate’. He was the NSA! Only a warrant issued by the Supreme Court would suffice here.
Nawa o
DSS should leave innocent Nigerians alone and should go after Boko haram.
Who is innocent nigeria to live , so they hold u baa
If I understand the NSA very well he said he “helped APC to win election” against PDP, “his employer” and yet he expects President Muhammadu Buhari and APC to trust him! Haba, if he did that to those who made him NSA and at that sensitive position he still wants to be relevant. Nay! Only a fool will feed his enemy. Dasuki, by his own statement is not just an enemy of PDP and Jonathan, but an enemy of Nigeria. He will definitely sell out on PMB and Nigeria if retained. In fact in the advanced polity of the world, his type are deleted immediately after being used. We can’t compare him with people like Rotimi Amaechi, Olusegun Obasanjo, Okonjo Iweala, Desani Alison-Madueke all who made known their political stands to everybody. Amaechi, Obasanjo, Okonjo, Madueke are all honourable people for being honest with people they are dealing with. Dasuki is a mere cameleon whose identity is undetermined. President Buhari may be old but actions like these are pointers to his knowledgeability of Nigerian political terrain. He has acted well and Dasuki is paying for his disloyalty to those who made him. I have no pity for his likes.
You are very correct. If he undermined the PDP, he can do so with the Buhari government.
Now we know why he was fired
@ rocket u are very correct.
You’re perfectly right
Your comment..@rocket, u hit the right target.
Sambo Dasuki is being dishonest, and looking for sympathy. His past is merely catching up with him at long, long last.
This guy participated in the overthrow of President Shehu Shagari in 1983 — a man from Sokoto and one year his father’s junior at Sokoto Middle School.
Sambo was also among the four IBB boys that arrested Maj-Gen M Buhari on Sallah day (a very curious choice of day for Muslims to stage a coup) when they overthrew Buhari on 27 august 1985.
Sambo later fell out with IBB’s Chief of Army Staff and Defence Minister Gen Sani Abacha, who later saw him off the army.
Now, he wants gullible Nigerians to believe that he helped the APC to come to power recently. And even claims that as NSA, “I did not restrict anyone’s movement, I never asked security agents to occupy anybody’s house.” He can tell that to his two-months old kid!
When Sambo was NSA in the run up to the 2015 elections, the Lagos residence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was under siege by truckloads of soldiers for many days.
A little bit earlier at Chatham House in London, he first muted the idea for elections to be postponed, and this came to pass. Then in an attempt to scuttle the outcome of the presidential election, a senior staff from his office, Colonel Bello Fadile (rtd) was implicated and exposed as trying to helped the cause of President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP.
Clearly, Sambo has forgotten all these so soon.
Dasuki confessed,he assisted them to win the election probably manipulating and sabotaging jonathan’s tenure, bitting the finger that fed him. Buhari knows dasuki more than we do. God bless nigeria, change!
Der is God oooooo
I think what Dasuki is saying is that if he had done his job by arresting those he felt were making statements with Security implication, the election process would have derailed considering the tension in the campaigns. But the way it has come out indicates that his refusal to take such actions facilitated APC’s victory rather that meaning it kept the country safe. Asking for APC’s pay back by treating him with leniency while been investigated for massive corruption is in itself fraudulent! Lesson here is we should all do the right time and not stay action on executing our responsibilities for gratification. What a shame!
People like Dasuki will never stop to amuse me. The man that dance wild in the market place does not know his anus is open to the full view of his admirers and enemies.Conversion time has come in Nigeria. If Buhari will help poor Nigerians to clean up the mess then i will change my mind and support him. However what I will not like is selective witch hunting and intimidation of perceived enemies of opposition party AABC.People like OBJ, Atiku, Abdulasam Abubakar,Odile, Amaechi,Asiwaju,Fashola, infact past players in Nigeria political terrain who had in one way or the other mess up Nigeria by stealing the commonwealth of the people must all face the music , confess and payback their loots to Nigerians.
Nigeria has too many problems from poverty to injustice to insecurity, these according to the 1999 constitution is the primary role of government….the security of lives and property… this government has a lot on their hands and should re focus on this triggers of insecurity please.
this is pay back time. nemesis has cut up on him. you can’t eat your cake and have it.one love Nigeria
Nigerians don’t need much to blab. Did anybody actually read what he said? Na wa O oooooo! This pull him down syndrome will pull all of us down as a nation if we are not careful. God will help us.
Your comment.. Whar goes round comes round. It is dog eat dog affair. Dasuki and his likes should learn to go into private biz when they retire frm security service. His incriminating statement ‘I was fair to all as nsa even when I had security cause to act on some issues, inflammatory comments and actions against the govt of the day by those in opposition I exercised restraint,’ cannot exhonorate him before apc govt. So he was one of the unseen hands that helped apc run over pdp. I am sure the last has not been heard. Tell us more.
Good news bad news GOD knows
Its obvious we are back to 1988 Buhari military rule (DSS head from Daura, Civil Defence head another northerner) only this time we are not using decree but we will appoint our cronies to positions to witch hunt anyone this government perceive or identified as against them.
Complete disregard for the rule of law or due process for the rights of individual. It is however, shameful that Col. Dasuki failed to act in accordance with the law and the code of conduct of his office and to now admit this as an advantage to APC is very sad and damning. The Northern conspiracy against Jonathan and PDP is now coming out.
Hmm,He should say more, but let’s wait for the result of his search.
You are very thoughtful… let’s wait for the search results. That’s it.
Some of my fellow compatriots amaze me… Do unto others what u will do to ur self.
Your comment..Nigeria wahala too much, we are not yet practicing democracy but trying to get out of the military hook. Come to think of it when shall we build this nation? Who will build it without “Political Witch-hurting”?
Reply to this comment please.
Your comment..PMB is d change…Dasuki is worse than an infidel. Politics is a game of absolute loyalty…Security man who can not protect his employer…Dasuki deserve more than what he met…for what goes around always comes around.