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| Sambo Dasuki |
The prosecution of former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Mohammed
Sambo Dasuki (rtd), in the alleged $2.1billion arms deal was stalled at
the Abuja High Court due to the absence of the trial judge, Justice
Hussein Baba Yusuf.
Dasuki has remained in detention since
November 2015 when he was arrested with the government refusing to
release him on bails granted him by four different High Courts and the
order of release by ECOWAS Court.
The federal government which is
prosecuting him in the alleged deal also failed to produce him yesterday
in court as at the time the trial was shifted to September 27, 2017 by
lawyers in the matters.
Other defendants in the alleged
corruption case included a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir
Yuguda, former Sokoto State governor Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, his son
sagir Bafarawa, former Director of Finance in the office of the NSA,
Salisu Shuaibu and Dalhatu Investment Ltd who were present in court.
However, the trial could not proceed as Justice Baba-Yusuf was said to have gone outside Abuja on an assignment.
Although the court clerks declined
comments, it was learnt that the judge was part of the Federal Capital
Territory Judiciary delegation attending the burial ceremony of Justice
Victoria Ayodele Uzo-Amaka Onejeme, a pioneer judge of the Abuja High
Court who died recently.
Eminent lawyers in the high profile case
including Chief Olajide Ayodele, SAN, Dr. Kayode Olatoke, SAN and Mr.
Akeem Afolabi, SAN, among others left the court room around 11a.m. when
information filtered to them that the trial will not proceed.
However, after consultation with each
other, the lawyers and the court officials shifted the prosecution till
September 27 due to the coming yearly vacation of the court scheduled to
begin on July 10 and terminate in the middle of September.
Apart from the lawyers, family members, associates and sympathisers of the ex-NSA who had stormed the court as early as 8a.m left unfulfilled due to the inability of government to bring Dasuki to court from the custody of Department of the State Services (DSS) where he had been kept since December 2015.
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