Dasuki’s Family Wants AGF Malami Disciplined By NBA For Unprofessional Conduct
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The family of the detained former National Security Adviser (NSa) Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Rtd), has dragged the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN before the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) urging it to investigate and sanction the minister over unprofessional conducts and utter disregards to the rule of law.
The Family in a petition legal body accused Malami of exhibiting unprofessional conduct likely to cause anarchy in the country through his promotion of disobedience to the lawful order of court by the Federal Government.
In the petition dated July 23, 2008 and sent to the NBA same day, Malami was accused of having made offensive and unprofessional statements to denigrate the court, violate the constitution and encourage the continued breach of the fundamental human rights of Dasuki, who has been in detention since December 2015.
The Dasuki’s family also want the AGF investigated in the resolve of the Federal Government not to comply with any order of court admitting the former NSA to bail.
In the petition copied the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, and Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, the family regretted that Dasuki had been unjustly detained without a lawful order for almost three years.
Recalling how their son served Nigeria meritoriously for 21 years as a courageous officer in the Nigerian Army; Managing Director Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) and later as National Security Adviser to the immediate past administration, the family said that Dasuki has never been convicted of any crime till date.
The petition which was signed by his wife, Hajia Bintu Sambo Dasuki; his son, Abubakar Atiku Dasuki and his nephew, Senator Umar Dahiru explained how the ordeal of Dasuki started when Buhari’s government in 2015 carried out unlawful invasion of his houses in Abuja and Sokoto during which his properties that include vehicles were carted away by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The petition also chronicled how Dasuki was arraigned before a Federal High Court and other High Courts of the Federal Capital Territory on various charges but was granted bail by the judges as the offences were considered bailable under the Nigerian law.
The petition explained that on December 29, 2015 when the bails conditions were perfected, and the warrant of release signed by the court, the operative of DSS stormed Kuje Prison and immediately rearrested the Ex-NSA and had since clamped him in their detention.
The family further said that several efforts made to persuade the Federal Government to obey Court Orders and respect the rule of law on the detention of the former NSA through the court were never complied with in addition to the enforcement of his fundamental rights granted by the court.
The family informed the NBA that rather than comply with the order of the court, the AGF as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation made unsalutory and unprofessional remarks that the order of the court as relates to Dasuki would not be obeyed by the Federal Government.
The family is asking the NBA whether a lawyer let alone a Senior Advocate of Nigeria ought to have engaged in such an unprofessional utterances that are capable of causing anarchy in the nation.
Accordingly, the family urged the NBA to invoke its Code of Ethics on professional against Mallami, investigate him and impose deserved disciplinary sanctions against him in order to safeguard the rule of law for the country.
The family lamented that Malami’s statement was prejudiced, unwarranted and unbecoming of a legal practitioner adding that imposing sanctions against him will make other Nigerians to respect the rule of law.
The Dasuki’s family appealed to the NBA to intervene in his ordeal by speaking out and taking decisions and actions that will compel the Federal Government to respect the rule of law and obey the order of the court that admitted him to bail.