$2.1bn Arms Deal: Prosecution Agrees to Consolidate Charges against Dasuki

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

The Federal Government has finally agreed to consolidate the criminal charges filed against former National Security Adviser, (NSA) Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) and others before two different High Courts of the Federal Capital Territory Judiciary.

This is coming barely 24 hours the ECOWAS Court ordered the Federal Government to release Dasuki from indefinite detention he has been kept since December last year.

The decision to consolidate the charges followed a complaint by the former NSA that putting him on trial in two different courts on the same issues would prejudice and cause him double jeopardy.

At the resumption of the trial on Wednesday, counsel to the Federal Government, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, and that of Dasuki, Chief Joseph Daudu, SAN, agreed before Justice Baba Yusuf to formally write the Chief Judge of the FCT judiciary, Justice Ishaq Bello, to consolidate the two charges in the interest of justice.

Both the prosecutor and the defence lawyers consequently applied to Justice Yusuf to adjourn the matter pending the time the chief judge would consider the application for consolidation.

Justice Yusuf, who was billed to give ruling on Dasuki’s motion for consolidation on Wednesday, put off the ruling as a result of the understanding between the prosecution and the defence and adjourned the matter till October 21, 2016.