Thursday, January 21, 2016 5:34 pm
Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
Justice Hussein Baba Ahmed of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
high court on Thursday compelled the Federal Government to produce the embattled former National Security Adviser (NSA) Colonel Sambo Dasuki in court to answer criminal charges brought against him.
The judge who berated the federal government for failure to
bring Dasuki to court stood down the trial for two hours and insisted
that the trial will not be conducted until Dasuki had been brought
before him as required by law.
Security operatives ran helter and skelter to fish him out.
Dasuki’s whereabouts has been unknown for the past six weeks.
Rotimi Jacobs, counsel to Federal Government assured the court that Dasuki will be brought to court.
The former NSA was eventually brought to the court around 11:00am in compliance with the court order under a tight security.
Another judge of the Federal High Court, Adeniyi Ademola had on
Wednesday ordered the federal government to produce Dasuki before him on February 16 to answer another criminal charge.
Justice Ademola maintained that it was wrong of the government to have expected the court to conduct a criminal trial in the absence of the defendant and in violation of the law.
Three different courts where Dasuki was arraigned for criminal charges had granted him bail but the bail orders were not obeyed by government which instead took the defendant to an unknown custody.
However, the trial of Dasuki in a case filed against him by the EFCC
for alleged criminal diversion of over N13.57 billion was shifted till Friday.
Charged with Dasuki are Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance and Administration, Office of the National Security Adviser; Aminu Babakusa, a former General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited. They were all charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 19-count bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust.
Hearing in the case was shifted following a letter from counsel to Dasuki, Mr. Ahmed Raji SAN that he was before an election tribunal in Kogi State and as such the court adjourned the case to January 22 to enable him defend his client.
While other parties in the suit conceded to the letter, counsel to theEFCC Mr. Rotimi Jacobs SAN standing for EFCC expressed reservations on the grounds that the defence has a team of lawyers who could have managed the case.
On his part, Justice Hussain Baba-Yusuf adjourned the
case to Friday, 22nd of January for trial to commence.
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