#TrackNigeria- The Department of State Security (DSS) has refuted the news making the rounds that former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki, has died at their detention facility.
The news of Dasuki death had flooded various social media platforms on the election’s day in Nigeria.
The DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya while reacting to the news of Dasuki’s death, said the immediate past NSA is not only alive, but in good mental and health condition.
He described the news of Dasuki’s demise as fake, callous and inciting, saying: “There is no iota of truth or credibility about the rumoured death of Col. Sambo Dasuki. We make bold to state that the former NSA is very much in good health and not dead. Therefore, it behooves the general public to disbelief and condemns the atrocious online story that Dasuki has died in DSS’ custody.”
Afunanya warned individuals and groups who take delight in spreading unauthenticated, unverified, and malicious information in order to achieve their devilish objective of inciting the public against DSS, to desist from their callous attitude.
He also cautioned the public to be wary of mischievous stories and fake news that have the potential to elicit violent reactions from the public and threaten the peace and stability of the country..
On their part, the family of the detained former NSA, expressed rude shock over the news that he was dead.
A source in the family who spoke to PRNigeria in confidence, said Dasuki who they had met on Friday, is very hale and hearty, adding that they were surprised when some persons called to sympathize with them over his death.
The family member said: “As of last night, he was hale and hearty when he was visited. It is therefore strange to us when we started to receive rumours of his death as some individuals were even sending us messages of condolence. We don’t know the motive of the rumours peddlers and the fake news promoters especially at this period.”
Meanwhile, a correspondent of PRNigeria, a news agency on security matters, met with the erstwhile NSA early Saturday on the invitation of DSS where he was found to be hale and hearty.
Sambo Dasuki had recently berated the Federal Government over his continued detention and disobedience to various court orders that admitted him on bails since December 2015. In a strongly worded letter, he personally signed and addressed to the Registrar of the Federal High Court Abuja, Dasuki had vowed to boycott any proceeding for his trial since the federal government had proved beyond reasonable doubt that it would not obey any order of the court even if it is in his favour.
Dasuki had previously perfected bails granted him by five different judges of high courts including Justices Ademola Adeniyi, Justice Ahmed Mohammed and Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Abuja Federal High Court and Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf and Justice Peter Affen of the FCT High Courts. The ECOWAS Court of Justice also ordered his immediate release from detention.
By PRNigeria
