Dasuki’s trial begins Tuesday

The Federal Government will on Tuesday arraign former
National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), before
a Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly being in
possession of firearms without license.
The Department of State Security Service, DSS, had, in a
statement by one of its officials, Tony Opuiyo, on August 24,
2015, said that it had charged Dasuki with the alleged
offence.
Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta,
had on Friday assigned the case to Justice Adeniyi Ademola,
who is the court’s vacation judge.
The DSS said it had charged Dasuki with possession of
firearms without licence, an offence punishable under
section 27(I)(a)(I) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria 2004, based on evidence so far
obtained.
The Federal Ministry of Justice had since taken over the
case.
It was learnt that the trial which ought to have started last
week was postponed due to the directive of the Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmmud Mohammed, to
various heads of court not to sit throughout the week to
enable lawyers and interested judges to participate in the
just-concluded one week-long Annual Bar Conference of the
Nigerian Bar Association.
The DSS had searched Dssuki's home and claimed that it
searched it “based on credible intelligence linking the
immediate past NSA with alleged plans to commit
treasonable felony against the Nigerian state.”
The statement partly read:
“You may recall that on July 16, 2015, the
Department of State Services carried out search
operations on properties belonging to the immediate
past National Security Adviser, Col. Mohammed
Sambo Dasuki (retd.), in Abuja and Sokoto.
“This action was necessitated by credible
intelligence, which linked him to acts capable of
undermining national security. The search operations
led to the recovery of large cache of arms and
ammunition among other things and for which
further investigation was conducted.
“Consequently, on Monday, August 24, 2015, he was
charged to court based on evidence so far obtained,
but which relates to possession of firearms without
licence punishable under section 27(i)(a)(i) of the
Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN 2004.”
The secret service said Dasuki’s arraignment was in line
with democratic practice and “our avowed commitment to
the rule of law, in which nobody is deemed to be above the
law, no matter how highly placed in the society.”
Punch

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