Alleged N6bn Fraud: FG Once Again Fails to Produce Dasuki for Trial

…Case adjourned till May 23

Alex Enumah in Abuja

For the umpteenth time, the Federal Government failed to produce former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) at a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday for trial in a N6 billion corruption charge brought against him by the government since last year.

When trial resumed, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had already prepared its witnesses for their testimonies, but the trial could not go on due to the failure of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) to release Dasuki to EFCC for onward movement to the Abuja High Court for the trial.

EFCC’s counsel, Mr Oluwaleke Atolagbe, told the court that he had made serious efforts through the EFCC to contact the DSS to produce the first defendant (Dasuki) in court but regretted that as at the time the court was sitting ,his efforts did not yield fruitful result.

He said further, that there was no indication that Dasuki would be brought to court for the trial even though the witnesses are in court and that also Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) who was supposed to be the lead Prosecution Counsel was at the Court of Appeal for a different matter.

Atolagbe appealed that the matter be stood down pending the arrival of Jacobs in Court to come and shed more light on the absence of Dasuki.

However, counsel to Salisu Shuaib, a former Director of Finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Akin Olujimi (SAN), said that the coming into court of Jacobs would be inconsequential in the absence of the first defendant (Dasuki).

Olujimi, a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Justice Minister, told the court that the prosecution had failed to produce the defendant in court and ought to admit that and asked for adjournment.

He informed Justice Baba Yusuf that it is settled in law that trial cannot go ahead in the absence of the defendant and prayed the Judge to grant adjournment to the prosecution to enable them take steps to produce Dasuki in Court on the adjourned date.

Olujimi also asked the court to issue a stern warning to the prosecution to be serious in the trial and to ensure that Dasuki is produced in court at all stages of the trial as demanded by law.

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