DSS Appeals Court Ruling On Sanusi Case

The Department of State Services is
appealing the ruling of the Federal High
Court in Lagos on an application for the
enforcement of fundamental rights by
the suspended governor of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Lamido
Sanusi.


In the ruling on Thursday, Justice
Ibrahim Buba declared the seizure of
Sanusi’s passport unlawful and asked
the Federal Government to return the
document and tender a public apology
to Mr Sanusi.
Justice Buba, also awarded the sum of
50 million Naira (about 296,000 dollars)
as damages in favour of the suspended
CBN Governor.
The court further restrained the Federal
Government, through its agents or
representatives, from arresting and
detaining Mr Sanusi without following
due process of law, and restrained the
government from interfering with Mr
Sanusi’s freedom of movement.
In a statement by the spokesperson of
the DSS, Marilyn Ogar, the DSS
expressed its disappointment and
dissatisfaction with the judgment,
describing it as erroneous.
Ogar stated that in impounding the
passport of Mr Sanusi, the Service had
acted in accordance with the law, citing
sections 3(2) (b) of Instrument SSS No.
1 made pursuant to section 6 of the
National Security Agencies (NSA) Act.
The law states: “The State Security
Service is hereby empowered to
impound and keep in its custody the
passports or any other property of
persons or organisations under
investigation if considered appropriate
by the Director General. Returns of all
such seizures shall be rendered to the
National Security Adviser, while such
passports shall be returned to the
Owners as soon as the investigation is
concluded”.
She, however, pointed out that the
service would continue to hold the
judiciary in high esteem as critical
partners in nurturing Nigeria’s
democracy and in building the nation.
Officials of the State Security Service in
February seized Mr Sanusi’s travelling
documents shortly after he arrived in
Lagos from Niger, where he had gone to
attend a meeting of governors of central
banks in the West African sub-region.
He was still in Niger when he was
suspended on allegations of financial
recklessness.

Gh