Dasuki recounts ordeal

Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), has said the invasion of his house in Abuja on Thursday is a sheer witch-hunt, and part of a plot by the Department of State (DSS) to implicate him in alleged security breaches.

Dasuki who lamented that it was sad the operatives also broke into his ailing father’s house in Sokoto and broke his safe, he does not deserve to be subjected to a 12-hour ordeal from 6.pm on Thursday till 6.am on Friday because as the NSA, he did not maltreat any Nigerian.

His words: “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 6.pm on Thursday. From 6.pm 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.”

Insisting that the DSS action was a witch-hunt, Dasuki said they are desperately looking for something to implicate him.

He further said: “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.”

On the allegations against him, especially the ones bordering on purchase of arms, funds for counter-insurgency and the seized $15million in South Africa, he said: “I read some of these allegations but nobody has asked me some of these things they are saying. I was not even in charge of some of these things. How do I account for all?

Read also: DSS leaves Dasuki’s house, seizes passport

He added: “And if you want me to respond to these issues, you have to give me access to relevant documents. 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. “There are some who should account 10 times for some of these allegations they are raising but they are walking about freely.”

Insisting that he ought to be better treated given his status, the former NSA, said: “It is just a witch-hunt. 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.”

“For a man who left office on Tuesday, where will I run to? I have nothing to fear. 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.

“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. I gave my best for this transition, which led to the victory of the opposition over the ruling party,” he added.

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