Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Dressed in blue guinea brocade jumper, dark goggled Colonel Sambo Dasuki, (retd) former National Security Adviser was his usual calm self as he was chauffer-driven in a convoy of exotic vehicles into the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja in company of one of his lawyers, a couple of aides and Attahiru Bafarawa, former Governor of Sokoto State.

Indeed, the former NSA seemed prepared for the trial as he was in the courtroom at least 40 minutes before the court began sitting.

Even at that, a battery of press photographers were already waiting for him and they wasted no time in unleashing their cameras on the former NSA in their bid to capture the historic trial for history. “I hope I won’t pay for those pictures o,” the Sokoto Prince jokingly asked a reporter as the cameras kept clicking with every step he took to ascend the stairs of the multi storey, Abuja Federal High Court premises.

Inside the courtroom, Dasuki who sat alone at the extreme right of a row of four chairs kept busy by reading the pile of newspapers he had brought to court while photo-journalists continue with the task of documenting his day in court in pictures.

Dasuki was asked to enter the dock to take his plea as soon as Justice Adeniyi Ademola arrived. Inside the dock, the former NSA instantly sat down on a chair placed in the squared cubicle. But the Court Clerk seemed to be in no mood to allow him that privilege as he gestured on the NSA to stand up before he began to read the charge.

He obeyed the Clerk and instantly stood up. But his lead counsel, Joseph Daudu, a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA appealed to the Judge to allow his client to sit, while the charge is read and plea taken. The Judge agreed.

The Clerk then proceeded to read the charges of violation of provisions of 27(1)(a)(i) of the Firearms Act, Cap F28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to the NSA with allegations that he owned firearms without obtaining the required licenses.
As listed by the prosecution, while some of the firearms were recovered from a Range Rover car with number plate Abuja RBC 517 JN owned by the NSA, others were recovered during a search of his residence at 13, John Khadiya Street, Asokoro, Abuja on July 16, 2015.

According to the prosecution, the firearms and ammunitions recovered from the search of the residence and vehicles of Dasuki include five Tavor rifles, 20 magazines, five rifle slings, five packets of servicing kit, one packet of MOD AP9 Cal. 9mm Luger No. 033373, small magazine containing 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition and bigger magazine containing 23 five rounds of 9mm ammunition, one Macro Uzi with serial No 60244, one magazine with 16 rounds of live 9mm ammunition and 36 rounds of live 9mm.

Dasuki pleaded not guilty to the charge and his lawyer wasted in time in asking for bail for his client. While asking the court for bail, Daudu, who appeared with Ahmed Raji (SAN), along with other lawyers, described the charge leveled against Dasuki as “very simple, but slippery.” But he said his client must be free to be able to effectively defend himself.

The legal luminary further told the Court that since investigations into the case has been concluded, the prosecution cannot argue that the defendant would interfere if he was granted freedom.

M.S Diri, the Director, Directorate of Public Prosecutions of the Federal Ministry of Justice who led the prosecution did not oppose the bail.

“The offence for which the defendant was arraigned before this court is a bailable offence. The prosecution intends to leave the issue of bail to the discretion of this honourable court. We did not file counter-affidavit because we are not opposing the bail application,” Diri said.

Thus, Justice Ademola has no problems in letting the former NSA return to his home, granting him bail on self recognition. The only condition for the bail as stipulated by the Judge was that Dasuki should deposit his diplomatic passport and other traveling documents to the Deputy Registrar, Litigation, of the court.

In addition, Justice Ademola also directed that that former NSA’s traveling documents, which might be currently in the custody of any government agency, should be retrieved and deposited with the court. As ruled by the court, the former NSA will return to court on October 26 and 27 for trial.

Dasuki problems began shortly after he was dismissed as the NSA alongside the last set of Service chiefs who served in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in July.

Men of Department of State Security Services had few days after his sack laid a siege lasting over 24 hours on Abuja home of the former NSA and that of his father in Sokoto, during which they conducted thorough searches on the two homes. The DSS had in a statement last week indicated that it would arraign Sambo in court following its discovery during the search of the two homes.

The intelligence agency said the search operation on the residence of Sambo had led to recovery of large cache of arms and ammunition among other things and for which he said the DSS had conducted further investigations.

“You may recall that on 16th July, 2015, the DSS, carried out a search operation on properties belonging to Dasuki in Abuja and Sokoto,” the DSS said in a statement signed by Tony Opuiyo, its spokesperson. Opuyo said this action was necessitated by information which linked the former NSA to acts capable of undermining national security.

But greater trouble may be ahead for the NSA as the Committee recently set up by President Buhari to probe contracts for procurement of weapons awarded since 2007 for the military continues its sitting.

The Sokoto Prince who was appointed the NSA on June 2012 when Nigeria’s battle with the insurgent group Boko Haram heightened the need for arms procurement for the armed forces to battle the terrorists. He was therefore in control of the trillions of naira budgeted for defence and procurement of weapons between 2012 and 2015.

In spite of the humongous allocations, soldiers battling Boko Haram complained of poor equipment and welfare, with the military recording series of desertions while the troops mutinied against their Generals in some instances.

During his pull out from the military some weeks ago, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, had told Nigerians that he led a “military that was ill-equipped,” a claim which took many by surprise as the Air Force Chief had fiercely defended and championed the trial of his men who asked to be properly equipped for the battle against Boko Haram when he was in office. Dasuki had responded to the allegations that the funds allocated for weapons during his tenure as NSA was not well spent recently by releasing the details of arms purchase for the military especially between 2013 and 2014 by the Jonathan administration.

Though he admitted that some of the weapons were still being expected from the manufacturers many months after, he however said the armaments were used to recover 20 local government Councils in North East from the occupation of Boko Haram.

He added that the weapons procured by the Jonathan administration were also crucial to the successful conduct of the 2015 general elections won by his accusers as they helped to stop Boko Haram from disrupting the polls in the areas where they are active as the terrorist group had threatened to do.

Also, under the leadership of Dasuki, Nigeria was in 2014 embarrassed by the over $15 million cash smuggled to South Africa in a private jet for the purchase of arms.
The dust generated by the scandal was yet to settle before the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority in South Africa, on September 5, 2014 announced the seizure of another $9.3m cash flown into the country from Nigeria in a private jet.

It is not clear yet if the seized funds have been returned to Nigeria, but critics argued that these two incidents may be a picture into how contracts for procurement of arms for the military were conducted under President Jonathan with the supervision of his NSA.