Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has given the Federal Government fresh dates to conclude its 10-year prosecution of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), on charges of unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering.
Justice Lifu gave the FG September 24, 25 and 26 as a timeline to wrap up the case started in 2015 under the late Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The court directed the government to call any remaining witnesses and tender all outstanding exhibits to substantiate its allegations on an amended seven-count charge.
Dasuki is also expected to open his defence once the prosecution closes its case.
At the last sitting, a prosecution witness, Monsur Mohammed, told the court that following Dasuki’s arrest, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) searched his residences in Abuja, Kaduna, and Sokoto for firearms and cash.
Mohammed, who identified himself as an exhibits keeper with the DSS, detailed items allegedly recovered from Dasuki’s Abuja home at 46 Nelson Mandela Street, Asokoro.
The items included two compact discs from Freedom Radio on Jokolo, two GT Bank cheque books, two Blackberry phones, a Nokia phone, a flash drive, an Apple laptop, a statement of account, a Visa card, and an approval letter for a radio station granted to Afri-Media Integrated Ltd.
Other items listed were a CD on the arrest and execution of Mohammed Yusuf, $500, 533 Saudi Riyals, a data page belonging to Abubakar Dasuki Ibrahim, an HSBC account book of the same name, and a Habibson Ltd cheque book.
Justice Lifu admitted the items into evidence as exhibits MSD 015 to 034, following no objection from Dasuki’s counsel, Ahmed Usman.
The witness also testified that a search at Dasuki’s Sabo Birni residence in Sokoto yielded $150,000 and ₦37.6m, which he said were deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria. He added that nothing was found at another Sokoto residence located on Sultan Abubakar Road.
The prosecution counsel, Oladipupo Okpeseyi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, informed the court that arrangements were being made to have the DSS bring the recovered cash to court for tendering.
He then sought an adjournment to enable the government to present other items obtained under four executed search warrants.
Justice Lifu granted the request but cautioned the Federal Government to be fully prepared to close its case at the next sitting, after which the defence would open.
He subsequently fixed September 24, 25, and 26 for the continuation and conclusion of the trial.
