Dasuki drags FG to court, says his life is in danger
Dasuki drags FG to court, says his life is in danger
ABUJA —Former National Security
Adviser, NSA, under President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki
(retd), yesterday, dragged the Federal Government before the Federal
High Court sitting in Abuja, insisting that his life is in danger.
Former national security adviser of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Sambo Dasuki
Dasuki, who approached the court through his legal team led by Mr.
Ahmed Raji, SAN, said he has been kept under house arrest by armed
operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, since November 3.
He lamented that the DSS operatives laid siege to his house and
prevented him from travelling abroad for medical treatment despite a
subsisting court order that permitted him to go and take care of his
budding cancer and return to the country within three weeks to continue
his trial.
Dasuki, in a fundamental right enforcement application he filed
against the Federal Government, yesterday, pleaded the high court to
uphold his rights to dignity and security of life.
He further prayed the court to issue a mandatory order compelling
the Federal Government and its agents, especially the operatives of the
DSS, to vacate his house located at 13, John Kadija Street, Asokoro with
immediate effect.
His application was predicated on sections 36(5) 37 and 41 of the
1999 constitution, as amended, as well as on sections 1(1) and (2) and
266 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
The former NSA equally sought an order of the court extending the
leave that was initially granted to him by Justice Ademola Adeniyi on
November 3.
Justice Adeniyi had in his ruling, okayed Dasuki for three weeks
medical leave abroad owing to his “deteriorating health condition”.
Meantime, decrying that security operatives refused him from
enforcing the order of Justice Adeniyi, Dasuki, yesterday, urged the
court to stop the siege to his house and order the Federal Government to
allow him to seek proper medical attention abroad as he was earlier
permitted to do by the court.
His application was premised on five grounds, among which included
the fact that the action of the DSS runs contrary to a valid order of a
court of competent jurisdiction.
Besides, he is praying the court for permission to keep a
re-rescheduled appointment with his physician abroad, by extending the
earlier leave that was granted to him on November 3.
In a 13-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion, Dasuki, told
the court that following the order of November 3 permitting him to go
abroad for medical attention, he immediately purchased his travel
ticket.
He said that he had already obtained his boarding pass to accomplish the trip.
He averred that shortly after, the operatives of the DSS, acting on
behalf of the federal government stormed and barricaded his house at
Asokoro “in brazen defiance of the court order and prevented him from
traveling out”.
Dasuki asserted that the siege on his house ought to be immediately
removed, saying as a result of the aggression of the federal government,
“my life has been under constant threat”.
Meantime, no date has been fixed for hearing of Dasuki’s fundamental right application.
