Why DSS went after ex-NSA, GEJ’s CSO

The immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki may not be totally ignorant of the reasons his residences were raided by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) last week, as more allegations have come to life about what warranted the DSS action.

Also, Mr. Gordon Obuah, erstwhile Chief Security Officer (CSO) to former President Goodluck Jonathan, may have come under the periscope of the Department for State Security (DSS) for allegedly visiting the brother of the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) in Kuje Prison.

There are several questions and posers, which watchers claim are begging for answers, especially on the part of the former NSA. According to sources, among issues that informed the DSS action was the “curious” withdrawals in the dying days of the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration running into billions of naira.

Meanwhile, there were strong indications on Sunday that the DSS may put Dasuki, on trial this week for alleged treasonable felony.

It was gathered that Dasuki, would be quizzed on how a driver to his personal assistant disappeared with a car containing $5 million, which was withdrawn from the office’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Although Dasuki said he was being victimised for discharging his responsibilities, a Presidency source told The Nation that evidence abound that his office played a major role in some shady withdrawals.

Dasuki was placed under security surveillance immediately Buhari was sworn in due to the role he played in the plan to truncate the handover of governance to a new government on May 29, it was learnt.

Said the source: “I believe Dasuki knows the truth and he is only latching onto the democratic environment to twist the tale. The cry of a witch-hunt is unfounded because we work in the same office. We don’t even need to go into how he purchased the Asokoro mansion few months after his appointment as NSA.

“Is Dasuki also claiming ignorance of investigation into the suspicious disappearance of a driver to his Personal Assistant with a vehicle loaded with $5m? In fact, the relatives of the driver are still asking the authorities to help look for their son. The money was withdrawn at the CBN and the PA claimed the driver said he wanted to go for lunch only to disappear with the money, which was in the boot of the car. Now, who allows a driver to go out with a vehicle containing such a huge sum of money?

“You know Dasuki is just playing for time and I think he knows the game is up. By the way, who told the former president that he could influence the sacked Service Chiefs to stage a coup and frustrate the handover date? Who championed the idea of changing the date for the election midway, having realised that Jonathan was not going to win? Who has been collecting millions of dollars to buy sophisticated gadgets and equipment to fight insurgency without any appreciable progress until the tail end of the tenure of Jonathan?”

The source who pleaded not to be named because of the “sensitivity” of the matter also said that Dasuki cannot explicate his office from the botched $15million cash-for-weapons deal that went awry in South Africa, adding that the extension of the investigation to Sokoto was informed by the fact that the former NSA had taken full control of the house long after his father relocated to Kano before moving to London to treat an ailment.

“The truth is that his father relocated from Sokoto a long time ago and that house is solely being used by Dasuki. What point is he trying to prove by feigning ignorance about what he keeps in the Sokoto house? Is he saying there is no money lodged in that house or that some government vehicles were not retrieved from there? Anyway, by the time he is brought before justice, we will know whether this is frame up or not. Sometimes, it is not the noise you make on the pages of newspapers that count but how you defend your integrity”.

It was learnt that the DSS withdrew its operatives from Dasuki’s residence at 13, John Kadiya Street in Asokoro District, Abuja, pending the resumption of the court from the Sallah break.

The DSS, in a statement on Saturday, accused the former NSA of alleged treasonable felony.

A highly-placed source said: “Barring last-minute change of mind, the ex-NSA is expected to be arraigned any time this week for alleged treasonable felony.

Read also: Dasuki, a national threat, says DSS

“He had been cautioned by the DSS operatives who searched his home. We also recovered some incriminating documents from his residence.

“When charges are preferred against the ex-NSA, Nigerians will have the details.”

Meanwhile, on Obuah, a source said: “Apart from abuse of office, I think they are investigating Obuah for alleged security breach. It was alleged that Obuah visited Charles Okah with a top aide on amnesty initiative with a draft endorsement of Jonathan for second term by MEND.

“They alleged that the statement was to be sent to MEND to be released to the public to boost Jonathan’s support base during the election.

“These emissaries were said to have promised Charles Okah freedom if he could reach out to MEND and convince the militant group to endorse Jonathan.

“But Obuah has denied any link with MEND or any subversive group. When he regains freedom, he will tell Nigerians his own story.”

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