The minister of Information and Communications, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has advanced reasons why the federal government will not release the former national security adviser, Colonel Sambo Dansuki and leader if the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
Mohammed said releasing Dasuki and El-Zakzaky from detention would constitute serious security risk to the country.
The minister 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 break out in the country.”
Eyes Of Lagos gathered that, Mohammed spoke with newsmen in his hometown, Oro, Kwara at the side line of his 10th annual Ramadan lecture .
He said the federal government has information at its disposal which could not be divulge because of national security that releasing the duo without extracting necessary information from them would have negative implications on national security.
‘‘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,” he added.
‘‘In the case of both of both El- Zakky and Dansuki, we are also talking about national security’’.
Mohammed said the former national security adviser had refused to account for ‘‘1.2 billion dollars 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 your are saying we should release him .
He said since the government would take responsibility for its actions ,it cannot guarantee whether the former national security adviser will still stay in the country if granted bail.
On those agitating for a divisive 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 are now taking the place of facts’’ regretting that some Nigerians swallow what was being published on social media ‘‘hook, line and sinkers”.
