The immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki
(retd.), a former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, and their
co-accused who are being prosecuted on 22 counts of misappropriation of
about N13bn meant for purchase of arms by the office of the NSA will
have to spend their weekends in detention following a Federal Capital
Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja fixing Monday to rule on their
bail applications.
Justice Peter Affen after hearing the bail applications on Wednesday
ordered that the accused persons be remanded in the custody of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission pending when his rulings on the
motions for bail would be delivered on Monday.
Others who were on Tuesday arraigned alongside Dasuki and Bafarawa
and were also on Wednesday ordered to be remanded in EFCC custody to
await rulings on their bail applications are, a former Director of
Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, a
former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; Bafarawa’s son,
Sagir Attahiru, and a firm, Dalhatu Investment.
Meanwhile, Justice Yusuf Baba of the same FCT High Court in Maitama,
had also on Tuesday fixed Friday for ruling on the bail applications in
separate case involving Dasuki as an accused person with 19 counts of
alleged misappropriation of about N32bn arms fund preferred against him
and his co-accused.
A former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the
NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, who is a defendant in the 22 counts features in the
case involving 19 counts.
Other accused persons in the case are a former Director of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa and his two
companies, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital
Limited.
At Wednesday’s hearing before Justice Affen, Dasuki’s lawyer, Mr.
Ahmed Raji (SAN), urged the court to grant bail to his client on liberal
terms as he is presumed innocent.
The various defence lawyers separately representing Bafarawa, his
son, Yuguda and Salisu also maintained that the allegations by the
prosecution that the accused persons would escape and frustrate their
trial if granted bail were speculative.
They also denied an allegation by the prosecution that their clients
would interfere with further investigation into the arms procurement
scam.
They also said their clients were eager to defend themselves and
prove their innocence and so would never interfere with prosecution
witnesses as alleged by the EFCC in its opposition to the bail
applications.
EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), in opposing the applications
accused the defendant of compromising the security of the nation. He
noted that their action was tantamount to economic sabotage through
their alleged diversion of funds meant for the procurement of arms to
fight terrorism.
Jacobs said going by the weight of evidence against the accused
persons and the likelihood of their conviction, there was high
probability that they would jump bail.
He urged the court not to grant bail to Dasuki, whom he said “will
escape from the jurisdiction of the honourable court from Nigeria,”
adding that “the applicant will not be available to stand trial if
released on bail.”
He also said both Dasuki as a former NSA and retired colonel and
Salisu as a former Director of Finance and Administration in the NSA
office, had the capacity to intimidate the prosecution witnesses who
were civil servants that had worked under them.
The accused persons were arraigned on 22 counts of misappropriation of about N13bn between August 2013 and May 7, 2015.
They pleaded not guilty to 22 counts of conspiracy, dishonest receipt
of stolen property in breach of sections 97 and 317 of the Penal Code
Act as well as receipt of proceeds of criminal conducts in breach of
section 17(b) of the EFCC Act.
