Sambo Dasuki

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Colonel
Sambo Dasuki
Dasuki at Chatham House, January 2015
National Security Adviser
In office
22 June 2012 – 13 July 2015
PresidentGoodluck Jonathan
Muhammadu Buhari
Preceded byOwoye Andrew Azazi
Succeeded byBabagana Monguno
Personal details
Born (1954-12-02) 2 December 1954 (age 69)
Wusasa, Zaria, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now in Kaduna State, Nigeria)
Parent
Alma materNigerian Defence Academy
Military service
Allegiance Nigeria
Branch/service Nigerian Army
Years of service1974–1993
Rank Colonel

Sambo Dasuki (born 2 December 1954) is a retired Nigerian military officer who served as National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan and briefly to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Early life[edit]

Dasuki was born on December 2, 1954, in Wusasa, to the royal family of Ibrahim Dasuki, the 18th Sultan of Sokoto[1] and is his first son.[2] Dasuki attended Kaduna Capital School for his elementary education and later Government College, Kaduna, for his secondary education.[3]

Military career[edit]

He entered the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1972 and was classmates with future officers such as Colonel Kayode Are, General Owoye Andrew Azazi, and Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye.[4] Dasuki received his commission from the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1974 and was posted to an Army Headquarters platoon.

Coup d'etats[edit]

Sambo Dasuki (then a major) and military assistant to General Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi participated in the 1983 Nigerian coup d'état that installed Major General Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria's Head of State.

Later, Dasuki was among four majors (Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, Lawan Gwadabe, and Abdulmumini Aminu)[5] who arrested the Nigerian head of state Muhammadu Buhari in the 1985 palace coup led by Major General Ibrahim Babangida. Sambo Dasuki has consistently denied arresting Buhari.[6] Following the coup, Dasuki was made Aide-de-camp (ADC) to General Ibrahim Babangida.

Military juntas of 1985–1993[edit]

Dasuki worked as Babangida's aide until 1988, when he left the post due to alleged disagreements with the then Chief of Army Staff, General Sani Abacha. He then went to the US where he received further military training.[7]

In 1993, following the rise to power of General Sani Abacha, Dasuki was retired from the army. He was accused of masterminding a coup allegedly led by Lawan Gwadabe. Abacha regime also deposed Dasuki's father as Sultan of Sokoto, replacing him with Muhammadu Maccido.[8]

Later career[edit]

In 2001, Dasuki returned to Nigeria and was appointed as the managing director of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Limited (NSPMC). He resigned in protest against controversial privatization of NSPMC by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and retired into private business.[9]

National Security Adviser[edit]

In June 2012, Dasuki was appointed as National Security Advisor by President Goodluck Jonathan.[10]

In early 2015, Dasuki informed the Independent National Electoral Commission "that operations against Boko Haram militants meant the military "will be unable to provide adequate security" for the upcoming 2015 Nigerian general election. The elections, scheduled for 15 February 2015, were postponed until March 28.[11] Also in April 2015, he insisted that the Nigerian military would ensure that Sambisa Forest, the last fortress of Boko Haram, would be liberated before the May 29 inauguration of President Buhari's new government.[12]

Coincidentally, on the one-year anniversary of the abduction of Chibok school girls, Dasuki insisted that government was concerned about the welfare of every single Nigerian, not only the Chibok girls, as terrorists abducted other innocent Nigerian girls, boys, men, and women, and security agencies were making all efforts to rescue them. The military rescued more than 300 abductees a few weeks afterwards.[13]

Corruption allegations[edit]

Detention and release[edit]

On 1 December 2015, Dasuki was arrested by Nigeria's State Security Service (SSS) for allegedly stealing $2.1 billion[14] and accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy 12 helicopters, four fighter jets, and ammunition meant for Nigeria's military campaign against Boko Haram Islamist militants.[15] In November 2018, Dasuki was refused bail by the government despite being granted bail by four different high court judges.

The State Security Service[16] released Dasuki from detention on the 24 December 2019. His lawyer, Raji Ahmed, told Premium Times the former national security adviser was freed on Tuesday night. Dasuki's freedom came hours after the SSS released Omoyele Sowore, an activist who was accused and subsequently arrested in August for an alleged conspiracy to commit treason and insulting President Muhammad Buhari over a planned #RevolutionNow protest.[17]

Pandora Papers[edit]

See also: Pandora Papers

As a result of the Pandora Papers leaks, the Premium Times reported that in 2013, Dasuki had set up a shell company with the help of government contractor, Leno Adesanya. The report found that the sole shareholders were Dasuki's sons with Adesanya not holding any shares and no other form of clear payment to Adesanya. Adesanya's representative claimed that no undisclosed favours were gained by Adesanya and that he was simply helping Dasuki's sons to set up an offshore company.[18][19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lere, Babagoro, & Adebayo. "Unmasking Sambo Dasuki". The Daily Trust of Nigeria. Retrieved 9 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "Unmasking Sambo Dasuki, The New NSA". Osun Defender. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Nigeria's Sambo Dasuki charged over '$68m fraud'". BBC News. 14 December 2015.
  4. ^ "NDA Regular Course 12 Holds AGM". This Day Live Nigeria. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ^ Siollun, Max. "Babangida: His Life And Times (Part 4 )". Gamji. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  6. ^ Yusuf, Alli. "1985 coup: Dasuki denies arresting Buhari". TheNation. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  7. ^ "Sambo Dasuki at the Intersection of Nigerian Politics". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Boko Haram: Who is Sambo Dasuki Nigerian security chief accused of stealing £1.8bn war chest?". International Business Times UK. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  9. ^ Dasuki, Sambo; Ali, Yusuf; Odufowokan, Dare (30 June 2012). "Unmasking Sambo Dasuki". The Nation newspaper. The Nation Newspapers and Publishing Co. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Guest Post: Nigeria's New Security: Dasuki in, Azazi out". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Nigeria Plans to Postpone Elections Due to Lack of Security". Deutsche Welle - allAfrica.com. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Military to Liberate Sambisa Forest Before May 29- Sambo Dasuki". Sahara Reporters. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Chibok: Bring Back Other Girls and Boys". YAShuaib Blog. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  14. ^ "Boko Haram, Nigeria's jihadist group, is regaining strength". The Economist. The Economist (print edition: Feb. 16th 2019, p. 42, 1 column story). 16 February 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Nigeria's Dasuki arrested over $2bn arms fraud". BBC. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  16. ^ "UPDATED: SSS releases Dasuki after four years | Premium Times Nigeria". 24 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Sowore: DSS denied me phone access but granted same to Boko Haram commanders". TheCable. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  18. ^ Ibekwe, Nicholas; Adebayo, Taiwo-Hassan (13 October 2021). "PANDORA PAPERS: Inside the secret deal between Sambo Dasuki's family and a billionaire govt. contractor". Premium Times. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  19. ^ "Pandora Papers: How Dasuki's Teenage Sons Hid Millions In Tax Haven When He Was NSA". Daily Trust. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.

External links[edit]

  • Dasuki, Sambo; Ali, Yusuf; Odufowokan, Dare (30 June 2012). "Unmasking Sambo Dasuki". The Nation newspaper. The Nation Newspapers and Publishing Co. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
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