Court adjourns case till December 7

The trial of retired Col. Sambo Dasuki and others was adjourned till Dec. 7 for further hearing following a concession agreed upon by all the counsels concerned.

The trial which came up at an FCT High Court Maitama before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf could not go on. However, all counsels had a chambers meeting with the judge and agreed on the date.

All the defendants were in court except Dasuki.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dasuki lost his father, the 18 Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki.

Dasuki, a former National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, was arraigned before Justice Baba-Yusuf by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a 19-count charge bordering on diversion of about N13.6 billion.

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

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

In the second case, Amb. Bashir Yuguda is the first defendant while Dasuki is the second.

Others are Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance, Office of the National Security Adviser, Dalhatu Investment Ltd., Sagir Attahiru and Attahiru Bafaarawa, former governor of Sokoto State.

They were arraigned on a 22-count charge bordering on conspiracy, bribery, and abuse of office and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N28.315 million.

At the last sitting, the trial was streamlined by the court following the movement of the two case files to one.

The two cases were pending before Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, and Justice Peter Affen.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that at the previous sitting 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 movement was to facilitate the quick trial of the case if the files could be in one court.

At the last sitting also the cases were brought to Baba-Yusuf’s court.