$2.1bn scam: Dasuki asks court to discharge him

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja

The immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), has filed a fresh application asking a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama to discharge him for the alleged crime of diversion of funds said to be meant for the procurement of arms.

The ex-NSA, through his lawyer, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), filed the application dated January 11, 2016, before Justice Peter Affen, urging the court to bar the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from prosecuting him.

The ex-NSA contended that the EFCC which is prosecuting him and other co-accused persons in the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria could not continue to prosecute him after a “brazen disobedience” of orders of the court granting him bail on December 21, 2015.

He filed the application before Justice Affen with respect to the 22 counts of fraud filed against him and others including a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, and a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda.

Others charged along with them are a former Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, his son, Sagir, and a firm, Dalhatu Investment.

Dasuki had filed a similar application before Justice Baba Yusuf of the same Maitama Division of the FCT High Court to the 19 counts of diversion of N32bn arms fund, instituted against him, Salisu and a former Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa.

Aminu-Kausa’s two firms – Acacia Holdings Ltd. and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited – are also part of the accused named as defendants.

Dasuki in his separate applications before the two judges contended that his continued detention in the custody of the Department of State Services amounted to a “brazen” violation of orders of Justice Yusuf granting bail to him on December 18, 2015 and the orders by Justice Affen, also granting bail to him on December 21, 2015.

He urged the court to stop the EFCC from prosecuting him until the orders of the courts were complied with.

He also sought as alternative prayers, an order of the court to stay proceedings in the case.