Court gives FG September deadline to conclude 10-year trial of ex-NSA, Dasuki

 The Federal High Court, Abuja, has given the Federal Government a September deadline to conclude prosecution of former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, over alleged unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering.

Justice Peter Lifu fixed Sept. 24, 25, and 26 for the Federal Government to call any remaining witnesses and tender all exhibits in support of the charges, which have been pending for a decade.

Dasuki, who was first arraigned in 2015, was facing a seven-count amended charge and was expected to open his defence once the prosecution closed its case.

At the last hearing, a prosecution witness, Monsur Mohammed, told the court that following Dasuki’s arrest, his residences in Abuja, Kaduna, and Sokoto were searched for arms and cash.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Mr Oladipupo Okpeseyi (SAN), the witness, an exhibits keeper with the Department of State Services (DSS), listed items recovered from Dasuki’s Abuja residence at 46, Nelson Mandela Street, Asokoro.

At Dasuki’s House at 46 Nelson Mandela Street, Asokoro, he listed two Compact Disc of Freedom Radios on Jokolo, two GT Bank chequebooks, two Blackberry phones, a Nokia phone, a flash drive, an Apple laptop and a statement of account as part of the items found in the house.

Others were a Visa card, an approval letter of a radio station granted to Afri-Media Integrated Ltd, one CD on the arrest and execution of Mohammed Yusuf, 500 US dollars and 533 Saudi riyals.

Also recovered were an HSBC account book and a chequebookof Habibson Ltd of Abubakar Ibrahim.

The court admitted the items as Exhibits MSD 015 to 034 following no objection from Dasuki’s lawyer, Mr Ahmed Usman.

At Dasuki’s residence in Sabo Birni, Sokoto State, the exhibits keeper claimed that 150,000 dollars were recovered in the house and subsequently deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The prosecutor said he would ask the DSS to bring the cash to court to be tendered as exhibits.

At the Sultan Abubakar Road, Sokoto house, the witness told the court that no items were found.

At this stage, the federal government counsel applied for an adjournment to enable him to bring before the court other items found in Dasuki’s house during the four search warrants executed in the houses.

Justice Lifu, while granting the adjournment request, directed the federal government to be ready to close its case against the defendant and for Dasuki to open his defence.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case until Sept. 24, 25 and 26 (NAN).

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