• Dasuki
The Department of State Services has (DSS) rebuffed report making the rounds that its men illegally besieged the Abuja home of the immediate National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki yesterday, Thursday.
The DSS said ‘such report is not only unfounded and malicious but aimed at tarnishing the good image of the Service.’
Reacting to the stated report, the service though did not deny laying seige to the home of the ex NSA but rather attributed it to the refusal of Dasuki to appear before the Committee constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the purchase of arms during the previous tenure.
A statement by its spokesperson, Tony Opuiyo, revealed the actual reasons that brought the seeming standoff between SAMBO and the Service, despite the court-ordered release of his international passport on 4th November, 2015.
Opuiyo recalled that Sambo was initially arrested and charged to court for unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering, for which reason his international passport was seized and on the order of the court, returned to the registrar for custody.
As stated by Opuiyo, ‘the public may wish to note that the government set up the Committee to investigate procurement processes relating to a two billion dollar ($2billion) arms transaction by the last administration, under which SAMBO was the NSA.’
‘It was on this premise that he was invited by the Committee to shed more light on his involvement in the deal.’ he also stated.
Opuiyo further stated that the Service was surprised and, as such, shocked that SAMBO has refused to honour invitations of the Committee but instead resorts to grandstanding and subtle blackmail of the Service.
‘His refusal to appear before the Committee has left the Service with no option than to adopt legal means to ensure his attendance.’ he disclosed.
The statetement therefore said ‘without doubt, Sambo is pulling all strings available to him to evade justice and put the Service in bad light.’
While enjoining Nigerians to disregard the impression created by Dasuki, the Service says "the simple fact is that the DSS is not persecuting him."