Supreme Court Orders Accelerated Hearing Of Dasuki’s Trial, Dismisses Appeals

Agency ReporterMarch 3, 2018

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The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja to give an accelerated hearing to the trial of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission prosecuting Dasuki and others before the FCT High Court on charges bordering on alleged diversion of multi-billion naira funds earmarked for purchase of arms meant to be used to fight the insurgency in the North-East.

The five-man panel of the apex court headed by Justice Dattijo Muhammad noted in a judgment on two separate appeals by Dasuki on Friday, that the trial initiated in 2015, had been frustrated at the FCT High Court by various interlocutory applications and appeals.

The five Justices on the apex court’s panel unanimously gave the order for accelerated hearing of the trial after dismissing Dasuki’s two appeals on Friday.

The ex-NSA’s appeals had sought an order putting on hold his trial until he is released from “unlawful” detention by the Department of State Service.

Dasuki had appealed to the Supreme Court against the judgments of the June 15, 2016 Court of Appeal, Abuja, which had affirmed the earlier separate rulings of the FCT High Court.

Both the FCT High Court and the Court of Appeal had dismissed Dasuki’s prayers, ruling that his re-arrest by the operatives of the DSS after he met his bail conditions and was released from Kuje prison on December 29, 2015, did amount to the disobedience of the trial court’s order granting him bail.

Justice Ejembi Eko, who prepared and read the lead judgment of the Supreme Court on Friday, affirmed the concurrent findings of the trial court and the Court of Appeal.

The apex court, agreeing with EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), ruled that Dasuki’s appeals lacked in merit and were fraught with ulterior motive of frustrating his trial.