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Power play may yet keep Nigeria’s former strongman Dasuki in jail

Colonel Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was on Monday granted bail after being detained by the Nigerian government for over two years

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Colonel Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, was on Monday granted bail after being detained by the Nigerian government for over two years.

It would not be the first time that the courts were doing so. Earlier decisions of the courts have been shunned by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration which continues to insist that Dasuki remains a person of high risk to the security of the country.

The latest bail granted to Dasuki may yet go the way of others as the government had also slammed corruption charges on the former presidency strongman.

The Monday judgment was granted by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja. She granted bail to Dasuki in the sum of N200m with two sureties in like sum, and ruled that “the long and continued detention” of the applicant since December 29, 2015, could not be justified.

“The respondents have not successfully justified the long and continued detention of the defendant. Based on the circumstances of this case and the established facts, the honourable court is of the humble but firm opinion and as affirmed by superior authorities that the applicant (Dasuki) has made out a case to warrant the intervention of this court,” she said.

She added, “The 1st and 2nd respondents, (the DSS and its Director-General, Mr. Lawal Daura), cannot impose custodial punishment on the SAN) – to focus on prosecuting Dasuki based on the “fresh” case of money laundering they claimed to have against him instead of sticking to a “pyrrhic victory” of holding him in unlawful detention.

“What this court is saying, in essence, is that the respondents should focus on prosecuting the applicant and not on the pyrrhic victory of holding him in an unlawful detention.

“When it comes to the rule of law and the constitution, if the applicant is found culpable for the alleged offences, he should be visited with the full wrath of the law if he so deserves.
“The law remains that the burden of proving the illegality or the unconstitutionality of the fresh allegations is on the respondents,” she said.

Read Also: NIGERIA: Just how ‘sensible’ is it to share $300m looted fund to the poor?

Justice Ojukwu described the detention as “an aberration of the rule of law,” insisting that none of the reasons given by the respondents could serve as justification for the long detention.

She also debunked the allegation that Dasuki would constitute a threat to national security, arguing that the fresh money laundering case which the respondents claimed to have against him would not affect national security.

“It is clear that the applicant has been in detention under the custody of the 1st and 2nd defendants (DSS and its DG) since December 29, 2015.

“Since the applicant has been made to honour the said invitation, why is he still in custody of the 1st and 2nd respondents for about two and a half years?

“This query is also in view of the fact that the respondents have averred that they are not standing on the way of the applicant to actualise the bail granted him.

“The continued detention of the applicant by the respondents despite the bail granted to him by the courts in other matter is an aberration of the rule of law, “ Ojukwu averred.

The Monday judgment comes nearly two years after the Economic Community of West African States Court of Justice in Abuja, in its own verdict delivered on October 4, 2016, ordered his unconditional release from illegal custody. The Nigerian government refused to honour the judgment.

“The continued detention of the applicant, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), by the operatives of the 1st respondent (DSS) under the instructions of the 2nd respondent (the DG) since December 29, 2015, till date without granting him an administrative bail is a violation of his fundamental right to liberty under section 35 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999,” the ECOWAS court ruled.

Politics

Botswana’s new president wants swift resolution of De Beers diamond deal

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Duma Boko, the recently elected president of Botswana, stated on Friday that he hoped to wrap up negotiations for a new sales agreement with the multinational diamond mining conglomerate, De Beers, as quickly as possible.

“The relationship with De Beers could have been damaged by the way the negotiations were handled,” President Boko said in a televised statement from Gaborone, Botswana’s capital. “The first thing that needs to be done is to engage the other party”.

 

The government’s portion of diamonds from the Debswana joint venture will progressively rise to 50% over the following ten years, according to a new diamond sales agreement reached last year by De Beers, a division of Anglo American.

Currently, De Beers purchases 75% of the production from Debswana Diamond Company, which is jointly controlled by Botswana and De Beers.

The agreement has not yet been signed, even though the Botswana government and the departing president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, praised its benefits Beers was “thinking about walking away, not signing at all… (a) very dangerous position to be in as a country,” according to Boko.

According to Boko, his new government wishes to communicate with De Beers to comprehend its issues.

“A proper negotiation involves compromise, where you get a bit of what you wanted, the other person gets a bit,” Boko said. “Then…you have a durable, sustainable agreement.”

As part of a larger reorganisation of its extensive operations, Anglo is developing a strategy to sell out De Beers. In July, Masisi stated that the Botswana government might increase its 15% stake in De Beers.A decline in worldwide demand has severely impacted diamond prices, just like it has for other luxury items. De Beers has been providing contracted clients with flexibility and limiting supply.

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President Maisi concedes as Botswana’s ruling party loses 58-year reign

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Following preliminary results showing his party lost its legislative majority by a landslide in this week’s election, Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, announced his party’s defeat on Friday, ending nearly 60 years in power.

The opposition coalition, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), held a sizable lead with over half of the constituencies reporting, placing its leader, attorney Duma Boko, in a strong position to win the presidency.

According to analysts, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has controlled the small southern African nation since gaining independence from Britain in 1966, was overthrown by growing socioeconomic dissatisfaction, especially among young people.

Botswana has always relied heavily on its diamond industry for revenue, but this year’s economic growth was severely hampered by a decline in the world diamond market, and unemployment increased to 28%.

According to results from 41 of the 61 constituencies up for election, the UDC had gained 26 seats in parliament, while the BDP had only three, according to state television. The president is chosen by the members of parliament.

Boko, who hasn’t made any public statements since the outcome, ran on a platform of increasing social grants and the minimum wage.

“Although I wanted to stay on as your president, I respect the will of the people and I congratulate the president-elect. I will step aside and I will support the new administration,” Masisi said at a press conference.

Small groups of supporters of the opposition celebrated in the streets of Gaborone, the capital, on Friday morning, which was peaceful.

“I did not ever think I would witness this change in my life,” said 23-year-old student Mpho Mogorosi. “The BDP had stayed too long in power and I am proud to be part of the people that removed them for a better Botswana.”

After South Africa’s African National Congress lost its legislative majority after 30 years in power and was compelled to form a coalition government, the BDP became the second long-ruling party in southern Africa to lose at the polls this year.

Later this month, elections will be held in neighbouring Namibia, where the SWAPO party, which has ruled since 1990, is anticipated to face fierce opposition.

“The outcome of Botswana’s elections should serve as a warning to long-time ruling parties across southern Africa and beyond that without economic progress and employment opportunities, political dominance will falter,” said Zaynab Hoosen, an Africa analyst at Pangea-Risk.

 

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