The Federal Government has said that the reason why the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), is fighting so hard to avoid trial is because he wants to keep “the magnitude” of his alleged wrongs against the Nigeria state away from the public.
It stated this in a counter-affidavit which it filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja in opposition to an application by Dasuki seeking an order discharging him from further standing trial on charges of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms instituted against him. Dasuki’s application was on the grounds that the FG had brazenly disobeyed a series of orders of court granting him bail.
The Federal Government, through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation is prosecuting Dasuki before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja on four counts of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms.
In its counter-affidavit to Dasuki’s application filed by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Dipo Okpesyi (SAN), the Federal Government denied the allegation of disobeying the order granting bail to Dasuki with respect to the case.
A lawyer in Okpeseyi’s firm, Emmanuel Ikpebe, who deposed to the counter-affidavit stated that while the prosecution was ready to proceed with the case, Dasuki was allegedly reluctant to go on in order to keep details of his wrongs from the public.
The counter-affidavit stated, “That the respondent (FG) is willing and ready to proceed to prove the case with the order of this court at the last hearing on January 20, 2016 fixing the case for definite hearing.
“That I know that the applicant is not interested in facing his trial before this court.
“That I also know that the applicant is averse to general public knowing the magnitude of the wrongs against the Nigeria state he has been charged with in court.”
The prosecution insisted that Dasuki was re-arrested because of “multiple criminal cases” pending against him in different courts, while adding that the Federal Government “has never prevented him from coming to court.”
Dasuki was re-arrested by the operatives of the Department of State Service on December 29, 2015, shortly after he met the bail conditions and was released by==from the Kuje prison in respect of two other separate sets of charges pending against him and others before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
He urged the court in his application to discharge him and prohibit the Federal Government from further prosecuting him on the grounds that his re-arrest by the Department of State Service was tantamount to Federal Government’s alleged act of assault on the court which had released him on bail.
