– Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) approached the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court of justice to solicit for his freedom – Dasuki’s counsel, Robert Emukpoeruo, filed a suit asking the ECOWAS court to declare his arrest since last year without a lawful court order as unlawful – Dasuki apart from his demand to be release to face charges in court, also requested for a compensation of N500 million from the government Share on FacebookShare on TwitterFormer national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki with his lawyers Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), the immediate past national security adviser (NSA) has dragged the Federal Government before the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court of Justice.

The National Mirror reports that the embattled former NSA slammed the federal government with lawsuit over his continued detention without trial since December 2015. He is requesting the ECOWAS court to implement his fundamental rights as enshrined in the African Carter on the people and human rights and the Nigerian constitution. Dasuki through his lawyer, Robert Emukpoeruo, on March 15 filed a suit asking the ECOWAS court to declare his arrest since last year without a lawful court order as unlawful, unconstitutional and breach of his fundamental right. The former NSA condemned the federal government for keeping him in a dehumanising condition after he was granted bail by courts of competent jurisdiction and after he had fulfilled his bail conditions and prayed the court to declare as unlawful and violation of his right to dignity of human person, privacy and family life guaranteed and protected right under Section 34 and 37 of the Nigerian constitution and Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right and Article 12 of the Universal of Human Right. Dasuki prayed the ECOWAS court to issue an order compelling the federal government or its agents to immediately release him and also to order government to release to him all his unlawfully confiscated properties during the invasion of his houses. The applicant also prayed for an order of injunction restraining the government and its agents from further harassing, threatening, intimidating or infringing or interfering with his fundamental rights as guaranteed under relevant national and international laws on human rights protection. Dasuki apart from his request to be release to face charges in court, also demanded a compensatory damages of N500 million from the government for its egregious violations of his rights as guaranteed under the law. Responding at the hearing yesterday, counsel to the federal government, Mr. T. A. Gazalli objected to Dasuki’s case on the ground that he has already been charged to Nigerian courts for various alleged offences. Gazalli argued that the ECOWAS court has no jurisdiction to enforce the bail conditions granted the former NSA because it cannot sit as an appellate court to the Nigerian courts. The FG counsel prayed the court not to entertain the case, but counsel to Dasuki Mr. Wale Balogun, prayed the court to throw out the objection of the federal government for being misconceived and misplaced to the request of Dasuki before the Court. Balogun further explained to a panel of three Justices of ECOWAS court, led by Justice Friday Chijioke Nwoke that all that Dasuki was demanding for is the enforcement of his fundamental rights to freedom, having being arrested and detained since December 2015 without trial or any lawful court order.

Dasuki was rearrested by the operatives of the Department of the State Security Service, DSS, immediately after he perfected his bail conditions. The arrest made it the third bail granted him by the Nigerian court. Dasuki who is currently being detained by the DSS is facing charges of criminal abuse of public trust and money laundering alongside the former governor of Sokoto state, Attahiru Bafarawa and his son Sagir. His arrest his connected to the ongoing investigation on how the sum of $2.1 billion earmarked for arms procurement to prosecute the Boko Haram war was shared among few highly placed Nigerians during the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan.
Read more: https://www.naij.com/765792-dasuki-makes-massive-monetary-demand-drags-fg-ecowas-court.html