…. Matter Adjourned till December 7, 2016
A senior Advocate
of Nigeria, Mr. Ahmed Raji and counsel to the detained former National Security
Adviser, retired Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki has taken the Federal Government
to task on the purported offer granted Dasuki to allow him travel to Sokoto to attend
the burial of his late father and 18th Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji
Ibrahim Dasuki who was buried on Tuesday.
The counsel
who spoke with the judiciary journalist at the FCT High Court Abuja said that
the purported offer was doubtful because none of his lawyers was contacted on
the issue.
He said: “As
his counsel, we are not aware of that offer. Our client has not told us
anything of that nature. We would have expected that if such a gesture was
going to be made to him we as his counsel should have been involved so that we
can advise him properly. As I am speaking to you, I am hearing of this for the
first time.”
Raji said there
was no basis for the continued detention of Dasuki by government having being
granted bail by three different high courts in Abuja in the charges against him
as well as the order of the ECOWAS court for his unconditional release in the
case for the enforcement of his fundamental rights to freedom of liberty.
He said “Dasuki
has been granted three bails and one outright judgement for his release by the ECOWAS
court which is binding in honour on Nigeria
The lawyer
appeal to the Federal Government to set a good example by according respect to
the rule of law and the principle of fairness and natural justice by ensuring the
immediate release of the EX-NSA in compliance with various court orders.
Meanwhile, the
trial of former National Security Adviser on the alleged arms deals filed
against him by the Federal Government at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory
has been adjourned to December 7, 2016.
The trial
was put off at the instance of lawyers from the prosecution and defence sides
who jointly agreed that the mood was not proper for the trial of the Ex-NSA
whose father and the 18 Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki was just buried
on Tuesday in Sokoto.
Dasuki was
not brought before the court for undisclosed reasons but his counsel Mr. Ahmed
Raji told the judiciary journalists that the former NSA was still mourning the
sudden passage of his father.
The counsel hinted
that although the matter was not officially mentioned before Justice Baba Yusuf
who was billed to conduct the trial, all lawyers involved in the matter felt
that the period was not good for the trial and hence their joint agreement for
an adjournment till December 7, 2016.
Apart from
Dasuki all other defendants in the matter comprising former Sokoto State Governor,
Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, former Minister of State for Finance, Alhaji Bashir
Yuguda, Director Finance and Supply in the Office of the National Security Adviser
Salisu Shuaibu and Alhaji Aminu Baba
Kusa were present in court.
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