Former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd), was on Monday arraigned for illegal possession of firearms by the Department of State Services.
Dasuki might spend 14 years in jail, if convicted by the court over the alleged offence.
DSS, in a statement, released by Tony Opuiyo, said that the arraignment of Dasuki followed the search operation it carried out in his residences in Abuja and Sokoto last month.
According to Opuiyo’s stat,ent, Dasuki was charged to court based on credible evidence that he was in possession of weapons without licence, an offence punishable under Section 27 (1) (a) (1) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN, 2004.
The A DSS said that the action was necessitated by credible intelligence which linked him to acts capable of undermining national security.
It did not however mention the court where Dasuki had been arraigned.
The DSS said that the arraignment was to demonstrate the fact that nobody was above the law and that the service was committed to democratic practices.
The statement reads in part, “You may recall that on July 16, the Department of State Services, DSS, carried out a search operation on property belonging to the immediate past National Security Adviser, Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, in Abuja and Sokoto.
“The search operation led to the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition among other things and for which further investigation was conducted.
“Consequently, on Monday, August 24, he was charged to court based on evidence so far obtained, but which relates to possession of fire arms without license punishable under Section 27(i)(a)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN, 2004.
“This is in line with democratic practice and our avowed commitment to the rule of law, in which nobody is deemed to be above the law no matter how highly placed in the society.
“Meanwhile, the Service recommits itself to the fundamental role of providing adequate security for all Nigerians to enable them pursue their legitimate aspirations and businesses.”
Dasuki was at the centre of the cash for weapons incident in Johanesburg South Africa, which shook the diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and South Africa.
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