The continued detention of former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) over alleged diversion of $2.1billion, is giving President Muhammadu Buhari cause for concerns, it was learnt last night.
Mr. Dasuki, who was NSA under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has been in detention since November 2015 over allegations ranging from unlawful possession of firearms to money
laundering.
While he is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a five count charge of alleged possession of illegal arms and money laundering, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned Mr. Dasuki before different FCT high courts for alleged diversion of $2.1billion meant to procure military hardware to fight the war against insurgency.
The former NSA denies any wrongdoing in all the allegations leveled against him.
Last week, the ECOWAS court ordered the Nigerian Government to release the embattled former NSA from jail and awarded N15million damages in his favour.
But the government said it would not immediately release Dasuki as it was still studying the judgment of the regional court.
However, it was learnt that almost a year after he was detained, President Buhari, who is said to be linked to Dasuki by marriage for more than four decades, is no longer at ease with the continued detention of his in-law.
A top aide of the president, who dropped the hint in Abuja yesterday, said that Buhari had already given instructions to the relevant organs handling the corruption case against the former NSA to take steps to recover the huge cash allegedly mismanaged by him and thereafter, set him free.
“I can tell you that the President is not comfortable with the continued detention of Dasuki despite the offences he allegedly committed against Nigeria and its people”, the aide said.
“The only condition Mr. President has asked Dasuki to fulfil is to refund the huge sum of public funds which were allegedly diverted under his watch as the NSA.
“And I want to tell you that we have the approval of Mr. President to release him (Dasuki) from detention as soon as he brings the money”, the official said.
