Court Defers Ruling On Dasuki’s Bail Till Monday

A Federal High Court in Abuja has deferred
till Monday the ruling on whether or not to
grant bail to former National Security
Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and five
others.
The accused are facing charges of alleged
diversion of funds meant for arms for the
fight against terrorism.
Hearing of their bail application was differed
till December 21 on Wednesday.
Counsel to the accused persons, Ahmed
Raji, who led the arguments for the bail
application, said the offences for which they
were to be tried were bailable.
He added that the accused persons were
presumed innocent and were therefore,
entitled to bail at the discretion of the court.
The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacob,
however, objected the bail application on
grounds that the accused persons still had
some influence in the institutions they
superintended and could intimidate the
proposed prosecution witnesses who
served under them if released on bail.
The Federal High Court had earlier fixed
Thursday, December 17, to rule on the bail
suit filed by the former NSA and the other
accused persons.
Mr Raji asked the court to adopt earlier bail
conditions given to Mr Dasuki by the Federal
High Court, as the issues were the same.
In his response, Mr Jacobs said “the case
before the Federal High Court is a
secondary offense which emanated as a
result of the case before the present court
and as such, the bail terms cannot apply”.
He added that there were concerns that the
accused persons would jump bail or even
obstruct ongoing investigations and asset
tracing.
Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf adjourned the
case after taking arguments for and against
the bail application by parties in the suit.
Colonel Dasuki was arraigned along with the
immediate past Minister of State for
Finance, Mr Bashir Yuguda, a former
Governor of Sokoto State, Mr Attahiru
Bafarawa and his son Sagir Attahiru, the
Director of Finance in the office of the
National Security Adviser Mr Shuaibu Salisu
and two others.