BREAKING: Court stands down to await Dasuki’s arrival
20th Jan. 2016
Justice Baba Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, is waiting for the arrival of the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), for his trial to commence with respect to the charges of alleged diversion of about N32bn, part of fund meant for the procurement of arms.
Prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), has however assured the court that Dasuki, who was re-arrested shortly after he fulfilled the court’s bail conditions earlier in January, would be produced in court shortly.
He told Justice Yusuf that those conveying him to court had assured him that they were on their way.
Justice Yusuf subsequently stood the case down till 11am.
Dasuki was absent in court when the case was called earlier in the proceedings.
But his other co-accused, a former Director of Finanance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, and a former Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa, were present.
Baba-Kusa’s two companies, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited, are also part of the accused.
Meanwhile, Dasuki’s leading lawyers, Messrs Joseph Daudu and Ahmed Raji, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, are also absent.
They were said to have written to the court asking for an adjournment of the case because they were scheduled to be in Kogi State for a more pressing election petition case.
Justice Yusuf while standing down the case said he would only take decision on the letter written by the lawyers upon Dasuki’s arrival.
Justice Baba Yusuf had on December 18 gratned bail to Dasuki and the rest of his co-accused in the sum of N250m with one surety in relation to 19 counts of misappropriation of about N32bn meant for the purchase of arms,
On December 21, Justice Peter Affen granted bail to Dasuki and his co-defendants with respect to another sent 22 counts of misappropriation of about N13bn, which was part of the arms fund, in the sum of N250m with two sureties in like sum.
But upon being released from prison after meeting the bail conditions, he was re-arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services.
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