Drama in Dasuki's house as DSS and ex-NSA continue vigil.

The Department of State Services, DSS has continued its seige on the Abuja home of former National Security Adviser, Alhaji Sambo Dasuki.

The bone of contention is Dasuki's continued refusal to personally sign for a letter of invitation from the DSS and the latter's insistence that he does so.

Feelers from both sides indicate that the drama could shift to the courts on Monday as both sides are said to be consulting with their legal teams.

DSS operatives have kept vigil at Dasuki's house since Friday while the former NSA has bluntly refused to come out and personally receive the letter inviting him for a chat with the security agency.

According to a source familiar with the issue ;
“The drama has continued in Dasuki’s house. Both the DSS and Dasuki are locked in endless vigil. The DSS insisted on Dasuki personally receiving the letter of invitation but the ex-NSA said it should be given to his aides.

“The tension over the letter peaked in Dasuki’s residence when an Assistant Director of DSS added the caveat that the former NSA must personally sign for it. Dasuki was said to be suspicious of appending his signature to any letter.

“It has been a ding-dong affair. The DSS does not want to invade Dasuki’s residence and the former NSA is under compulsory house arrest.

“Although some visitors had been coming to meet with Dasuki, they were usually subjected to thorough screening while leaving.

“The operatives have conducted their activities with decorum. No visitor or member of Dasuki’s household has been molested so far.

“A new dimension also crept into the matter. Dasuki said if he is wanted in connection with $2 billion arms deal, the invitation letter should not read an audience with the DG of SSS.

“He said the letter brought y the DSS and read to his aides indicated that he was wanted by the DSS DG and not the panel probing arms deal.

“Dasuki also said he cannot be isolated for investigation because the mandate given to the probe panel was from 2007 to 2015. He said many ministers, ex-NSAs, DGs of DSS, and military officers are under the scrutiny of the panel.

“Dasuki said he will only honour a letter of invitation by the panel or a warrant of arrest from a court.”

Sources say that while Dasuki may approach the court on Monday to report the refusal of the DSS to allow him travel overseas for medical treatment, the DSS may approach the court for a warrant of arrest to compel him to answer the arms deal panel's invitation.

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APC's National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said that the party has devised creative means to fulfil its electioneering promises, including payment of social security allowance to the unemployed.

His words ;
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Abuja Bound Plane Makes Air Return To Lagos

An Abuja bound Boeing aircraft on Thursday morning made an air return to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, having developed a technical problem a few minutes after takeoff.

The Medview Airlines plane with many passengers on board was said to have developed a pressurization problem at 8000 feet which affected its cooling system.

The airline was said to have provided another aircraft which conveyed the passengers to Abuja.

A brief statement from the airline said; “An Abuja-bound Medview Airlines aircraft made an air return this morning (yesterday). At about 8,000 feet altitude, it developed a pressurisation problem, which affected the cooling system. The pilot properly briefed the passengers and landed safely. There was no panic. Another aircraft was made available and passengers were flown to Abuja.”

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Why we stopped Dasuki's medical trip - DSS

The Department of State Services has explained why it stopped former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki's overseas medical trip.

The DSS said in a statement issued on Thursday that Dasuki's refusal to appear before its investigative panel left it with no option than to adopt a legal means to ensure his appearance.

Here is the statement :

"The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been brought to the report making rounds that its operatives illegally blocked the residence of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki (Col/Rtd), in violation of a subsisting court order granting him a relief to travel oversea for medical services.

"This is to say the least that such report is not only unfounded and malicious but aimed at tarnishing the good image of the Service.

"It may be recalled that Sambo Dasuki was initially arrested and charged to court for unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering, for which reason his international passport was seized and on the order of the court, returned to the registrar for custody. What has however brought the seeming standoff between Sambo Dasuki and the Service, despite the court-ordered release of his international passport on 4th November, 2015, is his refusal to appear before a Committee undertaking the investigation of an entirely different case.

"The public may wish to note that the government set up the Committee to investigate procurement processes relating to a two billion dollar ($2billion) arms transaction by the last administration, under which SAMBO was the NSA. It was on this premise that he was invited by the Committee to shed more light on his involvement in the deal. It, therefore, remains surprising and shocking that SAMBO has refused to honour invitations of the Committee but instead resorts to grandstanding and subtle blackmail of the Service. His refusal to appear before the Committee has left the Service with no option than to adopt legal means to ensure his attendance.

"Therefore, without doubt, SAMBO is pulling all strings available to him to evade justice and put the Service in bad light. The simple fact is that the DSS is not persecuting him. Nigerians are therefore enjoined to disregard the impression being created by him. This Service wishes to re-emphasise its commitment to the rule of law and strict adherence to democratic ideals. However, any person or group, no matter how highly placed, that may wish to test the will of the present democratic dispensation, will definitely be checked through the legal provisions of the law.*

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Dasuki Refuses To Personally Receive Invitation Letter From DSS

Operatives of the Department of State Services on Thursday laid seige to the Abuja residence of former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki for close to 9 hours.

The operatives were said to have gone there to serve the former NSA a fresh invitation for questioning on a security issue.

However , Dasuki who refused to meet the operatives in person asked them to give the letter to his aides.

Dasuki described the DSS team's insistence on personally handing him the letter as strange.

He told the team through his aides that he would rather honor an invitation backed by a warrant of arrest from the court.

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