Dasuki: Ex-AGF Malami Faces Disciplinary Panel over Professional Misconduct

Dasuki: Ex-AGF Malami Faces Disciplinary Panel over
Professional Misconduct
AudioLink: Malami’s
Offensive Interview on VOA Hausa Against
Dasuki^[1]

The immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami will on June 14, 2019
face the Disciplinary Panel the Legal Practitioners Privileges
Committee over a prejudicial statement made against the detained
former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki.

The Hearing Notice obtained by PRNigeria which was signed by
Patricia Orhomuru Esq, the Secretary Disciplinary Committee of the
Legal Practitioners’ Privilege Committee has a reference No:
PET/LPPC/23/2018 and dated May 16, 2019.

The Notice read in part: “Take notice that the above matter is
fixed for hearing by the Disciplinary Committee of the Legal
Practitioner Privileged Committee of the Office of Registrar
Supreme Court of Nigeria Abuja on June 14, 2019 at 11.00 o’clock in
the forenoon.

Malami is expected to face the panel for investigation in a
statement credited to him in the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa
Service on July 13, 2018 in which he was quoted that Dasuki would
not be released despite all subsisting court orders for his release
on bails.

In the audio recording of the interview he granted VOA, Malami
had accused Dasuki of being responsible for the deaths of over
100,000 Nigerians during Jonathan’s era.

In the interview, Malami had said; “Remember, we are talking
about a person who was instrumental to the deaths of over 100,000
people. Are you saying that the rights of one person are more
important than that of 100,000 who lost their lives?”

A Notice of hearing in the petition filed by Dasuki’s family
against former AGF indicated that Malami would be interrogated by
the committee of the Legal Practitioners at the Office of the Chief
Registrar, Supreme Court of Nigeria, Abuja.

The Dasuki’s family had petitioned the Nigerian Bar Association
(NBA) praying for an investigation and sanction of the minister
over his unprofessional conducts and utter disregards to the rule
of law likely to cause anarchy in the country through his promotion
of disobedience to the lawful order of court by the Federal
Government.

In the petition dated July 23, 2008 and received by the NBA the
same day, the family wanted Malami to be investigated in the
resolve of the Federal Government not to comply with any order of
court admitting the former NSA to bail and has been unjustly
detained for almost four years.

Recalling how their son served Nigeria meritoriously for 21
years as a courageous officer in the Nigerian Army; Managing
Director Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) and
later as National Security Adviser to the immediate past
administration, they stated that Dasuki in his lifetime has not
been convicted of any crime till date.

The petition signed by his wife, Hajia Bintu Sambo Dasuki; his
son, Abubakar Atiku Dasuki and his nephew, Senator Umar Dahiru
explained how the ordeal of Dasuki started when Buhari’s government
came on board with unlawful invasion of his houses in Abuja and
Sokoto during which his vital properties including vehicles were
carted away by the operatives of the Department of State Security
Service (DSS).

The petition also chronicled how Dasuki was arraigned before
four different High Courts and was granted bail all the judges
claiming that the charges were bailable offences under the Nigerian
law. They also added that the Court of Justice of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) declared the detention of
Dasuki as unlawful, null and void and subsequently ordered his
immediate release in addition to imposing a fine of N15m on the
Federal Government as compensation for the breach of Dasuki’s
fundamental rights.

The family regretted that up till date, none of the orders of
the high courts and the international court were obeyed by the
Federal Government. The petition noted the latest judgement of
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu on the Federal High Court which on July 2,
2018 admitted Dasuki to bail upon a discovery that his detention
was a breach of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
and that of the fundamental right of the Ex-NSA.

The Dasuki’s family claimed that upon meeting the bail
condition, the warrant of release of Dasuki on bail signed by the
Court was served on the Director General of DSS and the Attorney
General for their compliance with the order of the court.

The family, however, informed the NBA in the petition that
rather than complying with the order of the court, the AGF as the
Chief Law Officer of the Federation made unsalutory and
unprofessional remarks that the order of the court as relates to
Dasuki would not be obeyed by the Federal Government. The family
wondered whether a lawyer let alone a Senior Advocate of Nigeria
ought to have engaged in such an unprofessional utterance that are
capable of causing anarchy for the nation.

The NBA was prayed to invoke laws on Code of Ethics on
professional code of ethics against Mallami, investigate him and
impose deserved disciplinary sanctions against him in order to
safeguard the rule of law for the country.

The family lamented that Malami’s statement was prejudiced,
unwarranted and unbecoming of a legal practitioner adding that
imposing sanctions against Mallami will make other Nigerians to
respect the rule of law. The family also asked the NBA to intervene
in the ordeal of Dasuki and speak out and take decisions and
actions that will compel the Federal Government to respect the rule
of law and obey the order of the court that admitted him to lawful
bail.
By PRNigeria