17th July, 2015
Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
Operatives of Nigeria secret police, the State Security Services, SSS has withdrawn its men from the Abuja home of Col. Sambo Dasuki, the former National Security Adviser on Friday evening after over 24 hours of siege.
It was gathered that the security operatives seized the International Passports and other documents retrieved from the home of the former NSA who has vowed to challenge their action in court.
Dasuki, reports indicated is aggrieved that he was deprived of performing his religious obligation of attending the Eid prayers, a religious rite that is observed after Ramadan Fasting. The former NSA has vowed to challenge the action by seeking legal redress in order to enforce his fundamental human rights, according to sources.
SSS operatives vacated Dasuki’s residence few hours after the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP condemned his house arrest.
Olisah Metuh, spokesperson for the opposition party who claimed that he visited the home of the former NSA in Asokoro area of Abuja around noon on Friday but was denied entry by men of the SSS on the excuse that the house is under security watch told journalists that the restrictions placed on Dasuki was against the tenets of democracy.
Men of the SSS had laid siege to the residence of the former NSA in Abuja as well as the residence of Ibrahim, the father of Sambo in Sokoto allegedly seeking to arrest him since yesterday. The former NSA has however refused to allow himself to be arrested insisting that the security operatives did not come with arrest warrant.
Metuh said he had visited the former NSA based on instructions from his party, but he and a couple who also came to visit the retired Colonel were denied entry into the residence of Dasuki. He added that security operatives at the gate stopped him from gaining entrance though the former NSA was in his residence as at time of the visits.
“About seven or eight security operatives came out and they said that I cannot see him because the house is under security watch. And I asked them, security watch in terms of treason or terrorism? And they said they are not in a position to say.
“And why I asked this question is that it is under security watch on account of corruption or any other reason, then it’s totally against the constitution of this country because this is a democracy and democratic tenets and principles apply. The fact is that we deserve basic freedom, liberty and movements associated with democracy.
“The truth is that Nigerians are getting scared. They voted for the President and he was duly elected. And now he’s the father of the nation, he’s the father of everyone. He’s not serving any other interest. But they are certain activities by some of his aides and people around him; it’s like they are taking us back to the military era where we were coming from.
“The last time this happened was under the military. There has never been any situation where people will be held against their will. It is completely against his fundamental human rights. And we should be careful here because this was how it started in Zimbabwe and other countries. Before you know it we have a dictatorship. You cannot scare us.
“We are not guilty because we served under a former President. We are not guilty because we lost an election. We are not losers in a war. We lost an election, not a war. We are not prisoners of war and we should not be treated like prisoners of war.
“What we demand is that we deserve the respect; there is Rule of Law. We will not condone corrupt activities or any other unlawful or illegal act. If anybody has committed anything against the laws of Nigeria, let him be invited, let there be investigation. If there is a warrant of arrest or a judge can rule that he should be detained but the fact that you shroud things in mystery and you invade someone’s house, occupy his house and detain him against his will. It’s an anathema in democracy.
“Please, Mr President, father of our nation, we ask for basic respect for human rights. Let our inalienable rights be observed and respected in a democracy. Freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What is happening here now is totally against the tenets of democracy,” Metuh said.