Dasuki and his lawyer, Ahmed Raji
…Also Dasuki
to Make Own Case in One Day
The Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court has ordered the Federal
Government to justify the detention of former National Security Adviser (NSA)
Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) in one day.
The court
also ordered the detained retired army officer to make out his case against
government challenging his detention since December last year in one day.
Presiding jJdge
of the regional court, Justice Friday Chijioke Nwoke, gave the order in Abuja today
at the resumed hearing in a legal action instituted by Dasuki to challenge his
alleged unlawful detention, unlawful seizure of properties and infringement on
his fundamental rights to freedom of liberty.
Justice
Nwoke, while ruling in a motion by Federal Government seeking to lead oral
evidence against Dasuki to justify his detention, said that the regional court
having granted expeditious hearing in the case of alleged abuse of fundamental
rights, would not do anything to defeat the accelerated hearing order.
In the
ruling, the presiding judge granted the request of the Federal Government to
call two witnesses who are security operatives to lead oral evidence against
Dasuki but ordered that the defense by government must be done within one day.
He
subsequently ordered Dasuki to make out his case of the abuse of fundamental
rights against government on Wednesday (May 18, 2016) while the Federal
Government must put its defense at the disposal of the court on Thursday, May
19, 2016.
He said:
“Having listened to parties in this matter and the parties having filed and put
all necessary documents and exhibits at the disposal of this court and having
granted accelerated hearing in this matter, it is in the interest of justice
that this case must be expeditiously dealt with.
“In this
regard, the plaintiff is hereby ordered to make out his case on Wednesday, May
18 and the defendant to ventilate its defense the following day, May 19 after
which we will adjourn for judgment”.
Dasuki had
dragged the Federal Government before the ECOWAS Court praying the regional
court to intervene in his detention without trial since December last year.
The ex-NSA
asked the court to void the detention, the seizure of his properties and to bar
government from further detaining him without a lawful court order.
In the court
action instituted by his counsel Mr. Robert Emukpoeruo, Dasuki asked the court
to award in his favor a sum of N500 million as compensatory damages for his
alleged unlawful invasion of his house, detention, seizure of properties and
infringement on his rights.
He claimed
that government had put him on trial in three different high courts on
corruption charges where he was granted bail and that after meeting all the bail
conditions, he was re-arrested on December 29, 2015 and has since been held
incommunicado without lawful court order.
The Federal
Government through its counsel, Mr. Tijani Gazali, had argued a preliminary
objection against Dasuki on the ground that he ought to have filed a contempt
charge against the government for alleged disobedience to court order on the
bail granted him but the ECOWAS Court ruled that the case of the Plaintiff was
on his fundamental rights and has nothing to do with the domestic court.
At today’s
hearing, a motion by government seeking to call oral evidence by Federal
Government against Dasuki was granted by the court.
Justice
Nwoke however lambasted the Federal Government for filing the motion on notice today
adding that the action of government was a ploy to impede accelerated hearing
already granted but however said that the request was granted in the interest
of justice.
By PRNigeria
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