Dasuki mulls fresh move to stop his trial

There is a “high possibility” that Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA), will appeal against the judgment of the federal capital territory (FCT) high court dismissing an application to stop his trial, Ahmed Raji (SAN), one of his lawyers, has said.

Raji said that the legal team of the former NSA must have unfettered access to him if justice must be served, hence the need for the appeal.

On Friday, Justice Peter Affen of the federal capital territory (FCT) high court dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

Justice Affen held that Dasuki was unable to prove that he was being held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the prosecutor, after an order granting him bail.

He stated that the EFCC had not disobeyed the order of court because it did not have the accused person in custody.

Affen also held that the order for bail did not preclude Dasuki from arrest for any other alleged offence.

On February 26, when the application was argued, Dasuki alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari was behind his unlawful arrest and detention without trial.

The former NSA, who spoke through his counsel, Joseph Daodu (SAN), claimed that Buhari initiated his detention despite the bail granted him by three different courts.

In an affidavit filed in support of his application, Dasuki claimed that the president betrayed his emotion during a chat with journalists in December when he told Nigerians that he and Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), might not be released because they would jump bail.

Dasuki also claimed he had been held incommunicado since his re-arrest.

He, therefore, asked Justice Affen to stop his trial until the federal government purged itself of contempt, and complied with its order granting him bail.

Opposing the application, counsel to the federal government, Rotimi Jacob argued that the charges against Dasuki were initiated by the EFCC and not the DSS.

Jacob asked Justice Affen to dismiss the application because the DSS, which is holding the accused person, was not a party to the charges against him in court.

The court upheld his argument, and dismissed the application.

In February, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the same court, had also dismissed the application of Dasuki to stop his trial.