The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has explained why the Nigerian authorities have not released former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court on October 4 directed Nigerian government to release Dasuki.
Mr. Malami, reacting to the development, stated that the government needs to study the content of the judgement before acting on it.
Salihu Isah, special adviser of Malami, disclosed to the Premium Times the government’s position in a telephone interview.
Isah said the Nigerian authorities need to fully understand the content of the court’s proceedings and judgment before responding.
“We cannot just react. We will first of all study the judgment to understand it’s content before taking a stand,” he stated.
Some legal analyst, who also spoke on the matter, explained the effects of obedience or disobedience of the orders by government on Nigeria’s image.
Samson Ameh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said: “ECOWAS court can entertain cases, but it has no infrastructures to enforce its judgments. It is the country from where the case came from, that it would rely upon to enforce the said judgement,” the lawyer said.
“Any country has the right to enforce or fail to enforce the judgment. There are no side effects legally, except that the image of the country may be lowered. It is like a moral, rather than a legal responsibility.”
Former security adviser has been arrested last year for allegedly diverting billions of dollars meant for purchase of weapons to fight the deadly Boko Haram sect.
Dasuki was also accused of illegal possession of arms.
While the court said it would not go into the details of whether or not Mr. Dasuki’s supposed possession of arms were criminal, it added that an owner is permitted to enjoyment of its property.
President Muhammadu Buhari speaking during his first presidential media chat at the presidential in December, said that Dasuki like leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Nnamdi Kanu cannot be allowed to enjoy any form of freedom due to the enormity of his offenses.
