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Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court has ordered the Federal Government to justify the detention of former National Security Adviser (NSA) Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) within 24 hours.
Presiding Judge of the regional court, Justice Friday Chijioke Nwoke, gave the order in Abuja on Tuesday at the resumed hearing in a legal action instituted by Dasuki challenging his alleged unlawful detention, unlawful seizure of properties and infringement on his fundamental rights to freedom of liberty.
The court also ordered Dasuki to, within 24 hours too, make out his case against government challenging his detention since December last year.
Justice Nwoke, while ruling in a motion by Federal Government seeking to lead oral evidence against Dasuki to justify his detention, said that the regional court having granted expeditious hearing in the case of alleged abuse of fundamental rights, would not do anything to defeat the accelerated hearing order.
In the ruling, the presiding judge granted the request of the Federal Government to call two witnesses, who are security operatives to lead oral evidence against Dasuki but ordered that the defense by government must be done within one day.
He subsequently ordered Dasuki to make out his case on the abuse of his fundamental rights by government on Wednesday (May 18) while the Federal Government must put its defense at the disposal of the court on Thursday, May 19, 2016.