The Federal Government on Thursday re-arraigned the
immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), on amended
charges of money laundering, theft of firearms and illegal possession of
firearms.
He pleaded not guilty to all the seven counts when read to
him before Justice Ahmed Mohammed on Thursday.
The case, originally filed in 2015, was being heard by
Justice Adeniyi Ademola until October 2016 when the judge was accused of
corruption and subsequently put on trial by the Office of the Attorney-General
of the Federation.
Justice Ademola was acquitted on Wednesday.
Following Justice Ademola’s trial, the case in which the
prosecution had started calling the witnesses was transferred to Justice
Mohammed, who had to start hearing it de novo (afresh).
After Dasuki pleaded not guilty to the seven counts on
Thursday, both the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Dipo Okpeseyi (SAN), and the
defence counsel, Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), agreed that the bail earlier granted to
the ex-NSA by Justice Ademola in the same terms and condition should stand.
Justice Mohammed adopted the bail in the same terms and
conditions, even though the ex-NSA had remained in the custody of the
Department of State Service since December 2015 and was only produced in court
for his trials.
In addition to the five counts contained in the transferred
case, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, in the amended
charges, added two more counts bordering on stealing and being in illegal
possession of firearms.
The firearms mentioned in the two counts are: five Tavor
X95 assault rifles with numbers 45801168, 45801169, 45801175, 45801176 and
4801199.
The items, among other arms, ammunition and cash sums were
allegedly recovered from Dasuki’s houses in Sokoto and Abuja during search
operations by operatives of the Department of State Service on July 16 and 17,
2015 respectively.
Justice Mohammed on Thursday adjourned until April 11 for
the hearing of the prosecution’s application for witness protection.
Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s
two criminal cases against Dasuki are to come up before Justice Hussein
Baba-Yusuf of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama, Abuja
on April 10.
By Ade Adesomoju,
