The Department of State Security (DSS) in Yola, Adamawa State has detained a Retired Assistant Police Commissioner, Sheriff Rabiu, who was former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Murtala Nyako when he was the Governor of Adamawa State.
According to information made available to Nigerian Tribune, the CSO to ex-Governor Nyako was detained by the DSS on Friday night following a petition written on behalf of Sebore Farms Limited through its lawyers A.S Mohammed. The farm purportedly belongs to the former Adamawa Governor and his family.
According to a petition addressed to the Director of DSS, Adamawa State command, “Sheriff was instructed by Sebore Farms to buy a landed property at the cost price of N80 million.”
Sheriff was alleged to have changed the sales agreement to Ashran Nigeria Limited, a company, the complainant believed belongs to Sheriff.”
But in another letter addressed to the DSS director which is challenging Sheriff’s invitation and subsequent detention, Gabriel Adiku who is Sheriff’s lawyer described it as a “show and abuse of power.”
Adiku added that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) which was domesticated in Adamawa State in 2018 prohibits security agencies including the police and DSS to get involved in civil cases and/or detain suspects in that regard.
The letter made available to Tribune Online noted that “prostituting between security agencies is strange as bringing the same matter which is already before the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) before you is an abuse of the law.
“More so, that the national agencies act which establishes the State Security Services in section 2 (3) clearly provides thus: (a) the prevention and detection within Nigeria of any crime the internal security of Nigeria; (b) the protection and preservation of all non-military classified matters concerning internal security of Nigeria.”
He noted that the case being civil, is the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts and it is currently being investigated by the police.
Adiku therefore, wondered why the same complaint was made to the DSS, despite its lack of jurisdiction to entertain such complaints.
Efforts to hear from the DSS were unsuccessful as officers contacted advised our correspondent to wait till Monday.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune