ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) for the criminal diversion and misappropriation of arms procurement fund to the tune of over N19 billion, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was stalled for over two hours at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court due to his absence.
The case, which is before Justice Hussein Baba-Ahmed, was also stalled following a letter from the counsel to Dasuki, Ahmed Raji (SAN) that he was before an election tribunal in Kogi State, and as such the court should adjourned the case to Friday to enable him defend his client.
While other parties in the suit conceded to the letter, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), expressed reservations on the grounds that the defence has a team of lawyers who could have managed the case.
But before entertaining any other matter from the prosecuting counsel, Justice Baba-Ahmed compelled the Federal Government to produce the embattled ex-NSA in court to answer criminal charges brought against him.
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This is coming barely 24 hours after similar decision was also taken by Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court (FHC) on Wednesday that the Federal Government must produce Dasuki in the next adjourned date after his lead counsel, Joseph Dauda has raised alarm over his whereabouts.
Justice Ademola had maintained that it was wrong for the government to have expected the court to conduct a criminal trial in the absence of the defendant and in violation of the law.
In the same vein, Justice Baba-Ahmed who took swipe at the government for failure to bring Dasuki to court stood down the trial for two hours and insisted that the trial would not be conducted until the accused had been brought before him as required by law.
Following the Judge’s ultimatum, the security operatives who had taken the defendant to unknown custody in the past six weeks were forced to produce him around 11:00am in compliance with the court order under a tight security.
The case was adjourned to Friday (tomorrow) for commencement of trial.
Dasuki has been brought before various courts, in the alleged case of diversion of the sum of $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms in the last administration, had also been granted bail on three different occasions but still being detained by agencies of the Federal Government.
The former NSA who was also docked late last year along with his erstwhile Director of Finance, Shaibu Salisu, Aminu Baba Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited before Justice Baba Yusuf of an Abuja High Court on a 19-count charge, and as well as before Justice Peter Affen alongside former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, former Minister of State for finance, Bashir Yuguda and four others, pleaded not guilty when the 22-count charges were read to him.
Part of the 22-count charge read: “That you Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki whilst being National Security Adviser and Shaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser ( NSA) between April 14, 2014 and May 7, 2015 in Abuja, entrusted with dominion of over, N3.5 billion, being part of the fund in the account of the office of the NSA, with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) committed criminal breach of trust by transferring the money into the account of Dalhatu Investment Limited with United Bank for Africa (UBA) purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532 Vol.4 LFN 2004″.
“That you Dalhatu Investment Limited, Sagir Attahiru and Attahiru Bafarawa, between April 14, 2014 and May 7, 2015 in Abuja dishonestly received stolen property amounting to N3.5 billion into your account with UBA from the account of the office of the NSA with the CBN, which belongs to the Federal government and knowing the same to be stolen property but purporting same to be payment for the supply of security equipment and thereby committed an offence under section 317 of the penal code Act Cap 532, Vol.4 LFN 2004”.
