₦airaland Forum

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2016/02/07/dss-files-new-charge-against-dasuki-says-he-left-the-army-without-resigning/

The Department of State Service (DSS) had filed new charges against the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, stating that he left the Nigerian Army with proper resignation.
Dasuki who is currently enmeshed in corrupt dealings and diversion of $2.1 billion meant for purchase of arms for the Nigerian Armed Forces will be held by the DSS.
His new ordeal was revealed by Rotimi Jacobs at the last hearing of the suit against the retired Colonel at Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court last Thursday.
Jacobs had attributed the refusal of government to set the former NSA free, in spite of the bail he has been granted by three different courts to this military past.
The prosecuting counsel had told the court that Dasuki was a fugitive, having ran away from the Army without proper resignation.
Jacobs added that the ex-NSA is being currently held by the Department of State Service (DSS) on alleged breach of army service rule.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria who is the counsel to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the trial of Dasuki on alleged money laundering, told Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf that Dasuki was being detained by DSS in spite of the bail granted him by the judge because of his past in the military.
Jacob specifically told the court that Dasuki went on an exile for seven years and that during the period he allegedly breached the army service rules.
But Ahmed Raji, Dasuki lead counsel disputed the claims.
Jacob in a statement published on PRNigeria on Sunday said his client legally left the Army in 1994 and his exit in the military was officially gazetted by the Federal government through the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar in 1999.
Raji (SAN) therefore claimed that the allegation was a fallacy and a concocted lie to confuse the court as the prosecution has no answer to the well-grounded objection raised by the defence.
The lawyer claimed that “the allegation of fugitive against Dasuki cannot hold water on stand in the face of the law in view of the official gazette of the Federal Government that confirmed his retirement from the military.
“It is curious that the prosecution counsel who initially claimed ignorance of the reason behind the denial of bail is now coming up with these excuses… I am tempted to believe that my learned friend Mr. Rotimi Jacob SAN must be genuinely mixing-up facts or mistake of identity.”
The lawyer further added that: “The allegation is baseless, unwarranted and malicious because his exit was in the gazette of the Federal government. We accordingly urge those holding Dasuki in the custody in flagrant disobedience to the court order that granted him bail to have a rethink and respect the rule of law.”
Meanwhile PRNigeria, a website usually used by government agencies and military for dissemination of information said it gathered that former military dictator, late General Sani Abacha held Dasuki in contempt and marked him down for persecution, when he (Dasuki) opened up his mind on the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election and that the winner of the election, late MKO Abiola be installed as Nigerian President.
“Dasuki was among the officer who confronted Late Sani Abacha and insisted that MKO Abiola be freed and allowed to become President over the June 12, 1993 President election. This led to the premature retirement of Dasuki and other officers in 1994.
“The persecution that followed forced him into exile where he joined forces with other patriotic Nigerians to claim for the return of democracy in Nigeria.
“Some top politicians in the current administration also fled into exile to sustain campaigns for the enthronement of democracy. Dasuki and others were declared wanted by the Abacha’s police.
PR Nigeria however noted in an official Gazette No 33 Volume 86, Dasuki was granted clemency and pardon along with others on March 4, 1999 by General Abdulsalam Abubakar, the then Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces for their innocence and meritorious service to their fatherland.

Why Does President Buhari Treat Shiites and Fulani Herdsmen Differently?, By Adeolu AdemoyoPremium Times February 7, 2016 Why Does President Buhari Treat Shiites and Fulani Herdsmen Differently?, By Adeolu Ademoyo2016-02-07T16:19:55+00:00 Adeolu Ademoyo, Columns, Issues of the Day Comment

“…The herdsmen also inflicted injuries on soldiers who went to quell the fighting… all the corpses were covered at the time we got to the hospital… I just s
aw the corpses on the ground. There were 11 men and four women, the DPO not included…” – Adamawa State Police Commissioner, Gazzali Mohammed

“..poverty, injustice and the lack of job opportunities were mainly responsible for inter-communal and intra-communal conflicts in Nigeria…” – President Buhari

Social strife is a result of a violation of basic communal ethics. Hence, the ethics of equity and justice are central to building a peaceful democratic society. Sadly, it seems these ethics are lacking in how the Nigerian government under President Buhari has used double standards to deal with the Shiites and the herdsmen.

For example, while the Nigerian government under Buhari treats the serial criminality of the Fulani herdsmen with kid gloves, and has refused to properly call their kidnapping and murderous activities by their right names – which is a crime against the Nigerian state and people – the same government has called the Shiites/army clash a “coup”; hence the army declared war against the Shiites and massacred them in Zaria.

Given the double standards with which the Nigerian government treats the activities of the herdsmen and the Shiites, the similarities and differences between the Shiites/Army Clash in Zaria in December last year (2015) and the killings by the Fulani herdsmen in Girei local government area of Adamawa State in January 2016, must make us revisit President Buhari’s handling of the two occurrences.

To make the facts speak to the issues: the Shiites blocked traffic in Zaria, Kaduna State. The Fulani herdsmen invaded four communities (Demsare, Wunamokoh, Dikajam and Taboungo) in Girei local government. When the Shiites committed an infraction by blocking the traffic and prevented the Chief of Army staff, General Buratai from passing, the Chief claimed the Shiites were planning to kill him. But no guns, bombs, etc. were found on the Shiites. Guns and ammunitions were found on Fulani herdsmen during their invasion in Girei.

Also, the Nigerian army did not show any soldier that was killed or that sustained injuries – major or minor. On the other hand, in Girei, Fulani herdsmen carried guns and utilised live ammunition. They inflicted injuries on soldiers. News reports claim that they killed close to 30 people, including a police officer (Mr. Okozie Okereofor, a DPO in charge of Vunokilang Police Station in the local government area). The police is also a symbol of the Nigerian state, or any state.

The Buhari government and General Buratai, whose soldiers sustained injuries from the herdsmen, have not declared “war” on the herdsman who also killed a police officer but they declared war on Shiites who did not kill anybody, and the army allegedly massacred over 300 Shiites.



Without President Buhari’s government properly addressing these issues – the national question and Nigeria’s “federal” system – as part of good governance, and going ahead to establish grazing land across the country for herdsmen, some of who are economic fronts of rich and politically connected members of the Nigerian elite, the country may be witnessing another proxy “war”, especially of the rich and politically connected.

True, the nature of the Shiites/Army clash and the Fulani herdsmen criminality are different. For example, it is said that the Girei herdsmen were carrying out a reprisal attack on those who had previously attacked them. This difference notwithstanding, the handling of the two problems by the authorities has shown double standards, which morally injures the fabric of the Nigerian society.

For example, while the Nigerian army allegedly killed over 300 Shiites and President Buhari did not make a statement on this, and although he also did not immediately condemn the attack of the Fulani herdsmen, he later spoke, against this background, that inter-communal conflicts are as a result of poverty, injustice and unemployment!

Coming after the Fulani herdsmen inflicted injuries on soldiers and killed 30 people, including a police officer, President Buhari’s statement can easily be interpreted as an attempt to free the herdsmen of culpability in a major crime against the Nigerian people and state.

Therefore, President Buhari’s statement invites scrutiny. If the herdsmen’s criminality is seen as an indication of poverty, injustice and unemployment, Buhari’s account failed to acknowledge that these herdsmen are businessmen who trade in cattle. The herdsmen are also economic and business fronts for many members of the Nigerian political and economic elites who trade in Cattle and invest in the business of the herdsmen.

Therefore, contrary to President Buhari, Fulani herdsmen who are gainfully employed as herdsmen rearing and trading in cattle, and fronting in this business for very wealth members of the Nigerian ruling class, some of who are politically connected, does not suggest poverty but rather a subtle economic and class contest for land with farmers, who use this for agricultural purposes.

And more importantly, this is why it is very strange that President Buhari alluded to “injustice” in the case of the Fulani herdsmen. This is because the question is: who had been unjust to the herdsmen? Can farmers, who for economic and survival reasons insist that the herdsmen cannot turn their farm crops to food for their cattle, be said to have been unjust to these herdsmen, who insist on grazing their cattle to eat up the crops on these farms?

In doing their business, the issue is the well-known and public criminal record of some of these herdsmen. Hence, to use state power to acquire grazing land (as a way of resolving the criminality of some of the herdsmen) for a group of businessmen, with this obvious criminal and un-communal record, is rewarding their criminality.

In the light of this, it is obvious that the Nigerian government under President Buhari has betrayed unacceptable double standards in handling the criminality that herdsmen engage in all over the country. This explains why Nigerians must re-think the attempt by the president to open grazing land for herdsmen all over the country.

Opening grazing land across Nigeria for Fulani herdsmen is questionable and problematic in the light of President Buhari’s double standards in handling the criminality of these herdsmen. This is because the herdsmen are businessmen. For example, just like any other business into profit-making, there are herdsmen who engage in the cattle rearing as a private family business. There are herdsmen who are economic and business fronts for rich and politically connected members of the Nigerian elite. And in the third case, there are herdsmen whose business is a mixture of the two – as private family business and fronts for rich and politically connected members of the Nigerian elite.

In doing their business, the issue is the well-known and public criminal record of some of these herdsmen. Hence, to use state power to acquire grazing land (as a way of resolving the criminality of some of the herdsmen) for a group of businessmen, with this obvious criminal and un-communal record, is rewarding their criminality. And such policy is dangerous to communities and state governments that will host these grazing lands. It is going to be a test of both the Nigerian unitary and “federal” system.



President Buhari’s comments only show that the Nigerian federal system and the national question must be properly re-thought in solving issues such as Fulani herdsmen, Shiites/Army clash, contrary to the lukewarm attitude to it of the present Buhari APC government. Local governance, respect for local authorities, duty and obligation to local and state authorities by individuals regardless of who they are, and the notion of portable residency, etc. are core issues in this re-thinking of the national question and Nigeria’s “federal” system.

Without President Buhari’s government properly addressing these issues – the national question and Nigeria’s “federal” system – as part of good governance, and going ahead to establish grazing land across the country for herdsmen, some of who are economic fronts of rich and politically connected members of the Nigerian elite, the country may be witnessing another proxy “war”, especially of the rich and politically connected.

Hence, such grazing policy must be re-thought in the interest of peace, a federal and united Nigeria, and a consistently held and universally applied sense of equity and justice.

Adeolu Ademoyo, aaa54@cornell.edu, is with the Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.


http://blogs.premiumtimesng.com/170986-2/

doyinisaac:
But if the thread was about amaechi you will condemn him and call him names even when the court have not pronounced him guilty too....hypocrites everywhere...

Stop stalking me before I give it to you as e dey hot

TonyeBarcanista:
Saraki should quit or be disgraced

Have you pronounced him guilty already?

Nairaland judge

Common Sense is not for sale, its free

We must de-zombify our country Nigeria

Ride on Bruce

charlesucheh:
YOUR COMMENT IDENTIFIES YOU AS A WAILER

Thanks for the compliment

cleatoris:
What you and Mr Bruce have in common is folly. Not commonsense.

It is not uncommon for uninformed, misguided mediocres like you to mistake the verbiage of a nauseating troll for commonsense.

A sane mind you shouldn't be having a convo with a clit°oris

I give up on u

What an epic response from the leader of Common Sense Revolution!

Omojuwa just over-prized himself by thinking his attention matters to Bruce.

Bruce is not the type of politician that you can bamboozle with the media cos he's the KING OF THE MEDIA

Omojuwa used to have Common Sense, but have now short-changed it for Aisha's rice

What a pity !

Khan1993:
Sometimes i wonder if there is a cheat code for getting LIKES ane SHARE on NL. Yeah cos with the poo you spewed above, you got 307 likes and 20 shares. I am a fan of murray bruce but what i don't get is what the presidency has to do with this post. You people seem to use any available avenue to attack PMB. If nothing changes for you this year, at least change your habit of complaining. #PEACE

Check the LIKES again, its 615 and still counting

Likes are opinion poll of your comment
Those 615 who liked my comment had something you lacked #CommonSense

Now, go and die

4Play:
That man is just another irritating Nigerian politician who revels in scoring cheap points on Twitter.

I won't be surprised if that vehicle - picture of which I have seen before - is the only Innoson vehicle Silverbird have.

Do me a fovour


Kill yourself

MalcoImX:
Bruise will patronize Mama Put to make a point.

Ordinary Bruce, you can't spell
And you think you've made a point

Yet, you still agreed that he made a point

Receive #CommonSense

Bokoharam is still technically alive

Ben Murray Bruce is the #Change Nigeria needs not the current blamers

Though the dullard in aso rock and his zombies prefer German made BMW, Bruce is showing Nigerians that Nigerian made Innoson is world class.

I know this, because I have #CommonSense

LIKE if you have common sense

OBJ and his theatrics

Though I have no love for him

But I duff my hart for this display of respect to tradition

Tycoflu:
This just increased my love for Yorubas and their culture the more.
I'm Igbo but not IPOB.

Your type can sell their birthright for LIKES

Park well abeg

OBJ and his theatrics

Though I have no love for him,

But I duff my cap for this display of respect to tradition

Where is lalasticlala self

igwe123:
they will pight kworufshion in heaven too

Kwarraption is ebry where