|
|
Nigeria: FG Submits Security Document Found on Asuni
 |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
Leadership (Abuja)
9 October 2007
Posted to the web 9 October 2007
Godwin Emakpe
Abuja
Barely 48 hours after the United States embassy in Abuja protested the continued detention of its citizen, Dr Judith Burdin Asuni, who is standing trial for espionage, the federal government has risen in stout defence of its action.
The government yesterday submitted sensitive security documents, allegedly found with Asuni, to the Federal High Court in Abuja, and plans to charge her with "illegal" possession of a Nigerian passport.
The contents of the documents, submitted personally by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Salihu Aliyu, to Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, were not made public.
"If the contents of this document are made public, the unrest in the Niger Delta region would worsen," Aliyu told the court.
He told the court that the exhibit, if passed to any foreign government, could have a far-reaching security and economic implication on Nigeria.
Our reporter, however, gathered that the documents were allegedly procured by Asuni and her co-accused, Danjuma Sa'idu.
The affidavit reads in part: "The exhibit can also be used by any enemy of Nigeria or even adventurers who would want to exploit the situation and incite violence in order to sell arms and engage in oil bunkering."
Aliyu further told the court that the federal government was opposed to granting Asuni and Sa'idu bail because they would interfere with investigation and continue to supply the information contained in the exhibit to foreign agencies.
"The first accused is a woman of substantial means, with powerful connection with heads of government, security agencies, embassies and oil companies. If released on bail, there is a real risk of her absconding from Nigeria," he said.
The DPP also contended that investigation on the exhibit revealed that the facts therein were being supplied to foreign agencies by the accused.
According to him, "The accused persons did not go into the trouble of both the expenses and dangers of producing the exhibit just for the fun of it."
The DPP also stated that Asuni would be charged with illegal possession of a Nigerian passport.
In the affidavit he deposed that "although she is not a Nigerian, Asuni is in possession of a Nigerian passport."
"She is an American citizen married to a Nigerian, although a 'decree nisi' has been issued in respect of the said marriage," he added.
"Decree nisi," according to him, "is a conditional divorce which is subject to being made absolute at a later date."
Asuni was said to have conditionally divorced her Nigerian husband, Prof. Tolani Asuni, a psychiatrist with the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
The condition of the divorce, Aliyu added, was that she would still be answering the man's name.
Counsel to Asuni, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, said defence would need time to study the exhibit and would file a counter-affidavit.
|
Asuni and Sa'idu were further remanded in the custody of the SSS while the case was adjourned to October 16.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2007 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
