The failure of the Department of State Services (DSS) to bring former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki to court today for his ongoing trial at the FCT High Court sitting in Maitama is a worrying development, his lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN) has said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Dasuki on a 19-counts charge bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust. He is accused alongside a former Director of Finance at the office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, former Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa for alleged diversion of N13.6 billion.
At the last sitting, the court ordered that irregularities discovered on the list of witnesses be corrected. The case was thus scheduled for the prosecution to call its second witness today.
At the resumed hearing, EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) told the court he was acting under the impression that Dasuki was within the court premises only for him to find out he was not even in court. He applied for the case to be stood down for one hour so he can make contact to ascertain the reason for Dasuki’s absence.
Daudu while reacting to this application said he is not objecting because he is anxious to know why Dasuki was not brought to the court.
However, the 2nd defendant's counsel, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN) applied that the matter be adjourned till tomorrow since there is no certainty that Dasuki would be produced within the one hour requested by the prosecution. He said since the matter had already been fixed for today and tomorrow, it is better for the case to be adjourned.
The trial judge, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf thereafter adjourned the matter till tomorrow.
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