The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cried foul over the ‘house arrest’ of immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the rights of Nigerians are not trampled upon.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, made the assertion after allegedly being denied access to Sambo’s residence in Abuja when he attempted to visit him on Friday.
The party spokesman said that Sambo’s detention by personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) was unconstitutional, warning that Nigerians were beginning to nurse fears about the intentions of the present administration.
He told reporters who had monitored events at the residence of the former NSA at Asokoro that he was denied entry into the premises of Sambo’s home by security personnel when he tried to pay the ex-NSA a visit as a friend.
Metuh said he was told that the former security chief had been placed under security watch.
He said: “I came into Abuja today because I read the situation about the invasion of the house of the former NSA and his detention and house arrest. So, I drove to his house as a personal friend to see him and to find out what is happening.
“Then about seven or eight security operatives came out and they said that I could not 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 if he 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 there 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 will 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,” he said.
