From Emmanuel Kehinde, Ilorin
The Federal government (FG) at the weekend has said that it would not release former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and a Muslim Cleric, Ibrahim El- Zakzaky being held in detention despite various court orders, declaring that doing so would constitute serious security risk to the country.
It also declared that ‘‘the government does not have any official policy to marginalise any part of the country against the other’’ and warned that those beating war of drums would not escape it should war eventually broke out in the country.
Minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the declaration while fielding questions from journalists at the side line of the 10th Lai Mohammed Annual Ramadan lecture held in his country home at Oro, Kwara State.
He said the federal government has information at its disposal which could not be divulge because of national security and that releasing the duo without extracting necessary information from them would have negative implications on national security.
His words: ‘‘At every point in time, a government will make a hard decision between your personal liberty and national security. Now in the wake of 911, the US came with regulation that breached the personal rights of Americans and all of us because of national security. In the case of both of both El-Zakzaky and Dasuki, we are also talking about national security’’.
Mohammed claimed that the former national security adviser had refused to account for ‘‘$1.2 billion transactions he made in one day’’ ,an action he said calls for serious security concerns as such huge
amount could be used to ‘‘destabilise the whole country’’ .
‘‘This is an individual who make $1.2 billion dollars transactions in one day and up till today he has refused to tell government where the money went to and who he has given the money and you are saying we should release him,” Lai Mohammed claimed
The minister said since the government would take responsibility for it actions, it cannot guarantee whether the former national security adviser will still stay in the country if granted bail.
On those agitating for division in Nigeria and promoting hate speeches, the minister cautioned ‘‘those beating the war of drums God forbid if the war happens, they will not escape it’’
He said hate speeches continued to gain space in the media because ‘‘comments, personal opinions now take the place of facts,’’ regretting that some Nigerians swallow what was being published on
social media ‘‘hook, line and sinker’’.
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