KWASAU: DSS, EFCC Should Go About Their Duties With Decency, Dignity

Mr. Sule Kwasau is a lawyer and former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Jos Branch. In this chat with ISA ABDULSALAMI AHOVI, in Jos, he examines the issues involved in the invasion of the home of the immediate past National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd).

THE recent raid of the house of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), by the Department of State Security (DSS) has generated criticism. While many say the action was not justifiable, others believe that it was actionable.

Sule Kwasau, however, said the action would be okay, considering the information available to DSS. He does not believe that it was just sheer enthusiasm to please a master or overzealousness on the part of the officials in the discharge of their duties under the enabling laws.

“For me, the hullabaloo is misplaced. If they had a valid search warrant, I think they were in order, by taking that step. And don’t forget too, they found resistance from the security guards in the houses of the former NSA. But for the timely intervention of those in authority, perhaps, it would have been a different thing. So, let us watch how the drama will unfold and see whether indeed, it is not the kind of stories we had that Sadam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and at the end of destruction of Iraq none of such weapons was found. So, let us watch and see what happens,” Kwasau said.

Kwasau added, “from what we read in the newspapers, the officers claim they had a valid search warrant on the premises of the former NSA. And you know, they have a lot of information that the general public does not have. And if the information at their disposal indicates that there is likelihood of a crime to be committed by the former NSA, of course, they are also in the business of crime detection and prevention, before they even start investigation. If they had a valid search warrant from a competent court of law, I think they can be excused for the action they took, because if they did not act timely, perhaps, those pieces of evidence that they might eventually use in court may be moved away from the premises.”

Commenting on the weapons allegedly found in Dasuki’s home, Kwasau said he was not in a position to say whether they amount to weapons of mass destruction, “but from the comments I have heard, those high calibre weapons can do a lot of damage in any community, if they find their way in wrong hands, considering also that those weapons are not supposed to be in possession of private individuals, but only the military.”

He, however, puts a caveat, saying, though Dasuki did not retire as a general, the position he held, even generals were answerable to him. He argued that it was the position he held, which, perhaps, may have given him access to those weapons. And “maybe because of his closeness with the military as a former retired army officer and immediate past National Security Adviser, he has become a high profile political figure that maybe his age may need that kind of weapons to protect him.”

He said the authorities should investigate and find out whether those weapons were contained in the handover notes or not.

On the reported initial resistance to the search of his house, the lawyer said, that was where Dasuki got it wrong. “Well, for me, as a law-abiding citizen, I should not stand in the way of law enforcement agents. If I’m innocent, I have nothing to fear. Only the guilty are afraid.”

He, however, said, “perhaps, in this era of insecurity, where you have people coming in army uniforms, police uniforms and are not even members of the armed forces to raid people’s houses, this may have been one of the issues that made him become apprehensive.

He added, “from the information at my disposal, Dasuki made calls to a few people, who perhaps told him that these operatives are genuine people. And again, a lot of Boko Haram people also have access to not only weapons, but also the uniforms of armed forces. So, I think on that score, he cannot be unduly criticised for resisting, because he needed to find out who the people were, because looking at the security climate in the country now, a lot of rogues are moving around pretending to be members of the armed forces.”

However, Kwasau advised both the DSS and the EFCC to go about their duties with decency and with respect for the human dignity, adding that he knows that they have a couple of respectable officers in the system who are very serious.

“They are not military, they should be civil in their approach, the way and manner they exercise their powers. I believe Nigerian masses will support them, because if at the end of the day, it is discovered that part of the inability of the armed forces to overcome the insurgency is as a result of diverted funds, then I think the Nigerian masses will be with the security agents and encourage them to go ahead and recover whatever illicit money that may have been taken away.

“Because, for the first time, I think the Federal Ministry of Defence is in the search light, the Defence Headquarters is in the searchlight. And I know with the change mantra of this present government, it cannot be business as usual. I am in support that any government official, no matter how highly placed, who has helped himself to public funds illegally, should be made to not only refund, but face the full wrath of the law and we are praying that Buhari’s trip to America will yield dividends in terms tracing ill – gotten wealth stashed away in Europe and America and brought back for the infrastructural development of the country.”