Court grants ex-National Security Adviser N200m bail

An Abuja division of the Federal High Court has granted bail to a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, as the Department of State Services (DSS) continues to hold him for almost three years.

DSS has been holding Dasuki on the allegation of $2.1 billion arms fund diversion during his time as NSA under the administration of former president, Goodluck Jonathan.

During a ruling on Monday, July 2, 2018, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu said the detention of Dasuki is an aberration of the country's rule of law as the former NSA has been granted bail by other courts five different times, orders that have been ignored by the DSS.

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Justice Ojukwu granted Dasuki bail in the sum of N200 million and two sureties (N100 million each) who must not be lower than grade 16 in the civil service and are private citizens that must be owners of landed properties in Asokoro, Maitama, Utako or Garki area of Abuja.

Dasuki had filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the federal government over his detention since 2015.

In the suit, he urged the court to declare his detention illegal and to award him N5 billion as general damages and compensation for gross violation of his fundamental rights.

Despite the favourable ruling, the judge refused Dasuki's request to be awarded the sum of N5 million as damages against the federal government. The DSS, its Director-General, Lawal Daura, and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, were all joined as defendants in the lawsuit.