Sambo Dasuki
Again,
Sambo Dasuki
Again, Judge Sets Up 3-Man Panel on Dasuki’s
Trial
A Federal Capital Territory High Court has set up a three-man
panel to resolve the logjam arising from the trial of Colonel Sambo
Dasuki in the alleged money laundering charges along with Aminu
Baba Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral
Hospital.
The three-man panel headed by Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf is to
proffer a way forward for the court in the dilemma being
encountered by the court in the trial.
Dasuki who had been in detention of the Department of State
Security Service (DSS) since December 2015 despite about six court
orders that granted him bails, had written to the Federal High
Court that he would no longer appear for trial in protest against
violation of court orders by the Federal Government which put him
on trial.
In the letter sent to the Federal High Court through his legal
team, Dasuki made it abundantly clear that the Federal Government
has lost both moral and legal right to continue to prosecute him
having deliberately violated subsisting and valid court orders.
In the strongly worded letter, the former NSA claimed that that
FG has proved beyond reasonable doubt it has no respect for the
rule of law.
At the resumed trial today, at FCT High Court, counsel to
Federal Government, Mr. Oluwaleke Atolagbe informed Justice
Baba-Yusuf that the matter was for the continuation of trial and
that he was ready to proceed. He, however, said that a fresh motion
on notice just filed by the defendant had been served on him and
that he needed time to study the direction of the motion and then
respond appropriately.
Atolagbe subsequently pleaded with the judge to grant him a
short adjournment.
Counsel to Dasuki, Mr. Victor Okwudili had admitted that a
motion was served on the prosecution and that the motion ought to
be decided one way or the other before the trial could continue.
He, however, did not object to the request for an adjournment by
the prosecution.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Umoh, a counsel to the
second defendant Aminu Baba-Kusa had faulted the claim of the
federal government that the former NSA deliberately refused to
appear in Court for trial.
The Senior lawyer argued that that the blame for Dasuki’s
absence in court, should appropriately shifted to the federal
government for using one hand in holding Dasuki in its custody
illegally, and at the same time using the second hand beckoning on
the same Dasuki to appear in court.
Umoh therefore, agreed that the issue surrounding Dasuki’s
decision not to be in court should first be resolved before the
trial could proceed.
Justice Baba Yusuf in his ruling agreed that the issue must be
resolved in the interest of justice to both parties and therefore
put in place a three-man panel that would proffer solution for the
way forward for the court.
Apart from Justice Baba-Yusuf who is presiding, others in the
panel are Justice Valentine Ashi and Justice Mary-Ann Anenih both
of FCT High Court.
Justice Baba Yusuf, therefore, adjourned the matter till
February 19, 2019, after the Presidential election.
During his tenure as the National Security Adviser in the
immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan, Sambo Dasuki
had reinvigorated and facilitated the expansion of troops of
Multi-national Joint Taskforce (MNJTF) with neighbouring Benin,
Cameroon, Chad and Niger towards combating the dreaded Boko Haram
insurgency.
Dasuki also facilitated collaboration with foreign technical
advisers towards ensuring the recovery of several major towns in
Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states from Boko Haram terrorists. Some of
the liberated towns, during his tenure included: Abadam, Askira,
Baga, Bama, Bara, Buni Yadi, Damboa, Dikwa, Gamboru-Ngala, Goniri,
Gujba, Gulag, Gulani, Gwoza, Hong, Kala Balge, Konduga, Kukawa,
Marte, Madagali, Michika, Monguno, Mubi, Vimtim among others.
However shortly after leaving office, the Federal Government
filed charges against him in different courts and was granted bail
in line with the provision s of the law but has remained in an
illegal detention since December 2015 prompting him in writing
Federal High Court in Abuja where he is being prosecuted for
charges of illegal possession of firearms and money laundering,
requesting that he be allowed to stop submitting himself for
trial.
He based his request on the Federal Government’s continued
refusal to comply with a series of court orders granting him bail.
He cited six court orders, including one by the Court of Justice of
the Economic Community of West African States, which had ordered
his release but were ignored by the Federal Government.
By PRNigeria