File photo: Dasuki in blue, surrounded by lawyers in court

An FCT High Court on Friday consolidated, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki’s two cases pending in different courts to one court.

Dasuki is the former National Security Adviser (NSA) to former President Goodluck Jonathan,

The FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello, had approved the request of counsel by consolidating and transferring the matter before Justice Peter Affen’ to Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf’s court.

The trial has been streamlined by the court following the movement of the two case files to one.

Dasuki was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 19-count charge bordering on diversion of about N13.6 billion in Baba-Yusuf’s court.

He is being tried alongside Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance, Office of the NSA, and Aminu Baba-Kusa, a former NNPC Executive Director.

Also being tried were two firms, Acacia Holding Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital limited.

In Affen’s court, Dauski, the second defendant, was arraigned on a 22-count charge bordering on conspiracy, bribery, abuse of office and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N28, 31 million

Bashir Yuguda is the first defendant, while others were Salisu, Dalhatu Investment Ltd, Sagir Attahiru and Attahiru Bafaarawa, former governor of Sokoto State.

At the last hearing, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN) counsel for Dauski), had prayed the court to consolidate the two cases against his client.

Daudu sought for an order directing the prosecution to amend charge No FCT/HC/CR/43/ 2015 pending before Baba-Yusuf, to include the counts in suit No FCT/HC/CR/43/2015, before Affen.

He said that his prayer was pursuant to sections 6(6)(a), 35(5) and (9) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, and sections 1(1); 208; 396(3); 401and 492(3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

Mr Rotimi Jacobs also said that the consolidation would facilitate the quick trial of the case.

At the resumed hearing of the consolidated case, Jacobs urged Baba-Yusuf to adjourn the matters for trial or further direction.

Baba-Yusuf held that the implication of this consolidation was that the prosecution should re-arraign the defendants who were not included in the matter before him. (NAN)