Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has granted fresh bail to former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), who is re-arraigned before the court on the alleged arms fund diversion. Dasuki was docked on a 32-count amended charge along with Aminu Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital. The four defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to all the 32-count charge.
Apart from the dropping of former Director of Finance and Supply in the Office of the NSA, Salisu Shuaib, from the amended charge list, the charges were almost same with the old 18 count charges brought against the defendants by the federal government in 2015. Shortly after taking the plea of the defendants, the issue of bail was raised and counsel to the former NSA, Adeola Adedekpe, pleaded with the court to grant the defendants bail in liberal terms in view of the fact that the defendants had been attending their trial since 2015. The counsel to the federal government, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, did not oppose the bail application.
The trial Judge, Hussein Yusuf, however, ordered that Dasuki and other defendants be allowed to continue to enjoy the bail he granted them in 2015 when they were first arraigned before his court.
It will be recalled that although other defendants were allowed to enjoy the earlier bail, Dasuki was, however, rearrested in 2015 at the Kuje Prison shortly after perfecting his bail conditions and has since been kept in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) even after other courts granted him bails.
Meanwhile, Justice Baba Yusuf has fixed July 3 and 5 for the trial of the defendants in the new charges. The federal government had, on April 30, filled the new 32 amended count charges to replace the initial 18-count charges brought against five defendants in 2015 before the same court. At yesterday’s re-arraignment, no reason was adduced on why the former Director of Finance in ONSA, Salisu Shuaib, who served along with Dasuki was dropped from the trial having being arraigned together since 2015. (Premium Times)
