BEVERLY HILLS, January 22, (THEWILL) – Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser (NSA), has asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court to enforce an order of the court granting him bail before his trial proceeds.
Dasuki was granted bail In December 2015 by Yusuf Baba, Justice of the FCT high court; while at Kuje prison in Abuja, but was denied his freedom by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) who reportedly detained him in an undisclosed location.
On Friday, Joseph Daodu, Dasuki’s lawyer, revealed that he had neither seen Dasuki nor conferred with him since he was taken into detention by the DSS.
“As far as we are concerned it is our duty to ensure that the orders of this court are obeyed,” Daodu said.
“The only thing I can see now is that he is looking thinner and thinner and we have not even discussed with him.”
He therefore prayed the court to stay proceedings in the case until the federal government complied with the order granting him bail.
Responding, Rotimi Jacobs, counsel to the federal government, asked the court to strike out the application by the accused person to stop his trial.
“I’m not unmindful that the first defendant filed an application urging your lordship to prohibit the prosecution to proceed with this charge or stay the proceedings,” he said.
“My Lord, the era of stopping criminal trial is over by the effect of the criminal Justices Act in May 2015,” he argued.
“My lord that is the provision of Section 396 and with due respect to the provision, the trial should continue.”
After listening to the submissions, the court adjourned the case to February 4 for ruling on the application.
Dasuki is facing 19-count charges of criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of N32bn before Yusuf and 22-count charges before Justice Peter Affen of the same FCT high court.
Story by David Oputah
