BEVERLY HILLS, April 06, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has re-arraigned former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki before an Abuja Federal High Court on a seven count charge of unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering.
The offences are contrary to Sections 28(1) (a) of the Firearms Act and 18(3) of the Money Laundering Act as the Federal Government alleged that an aggregate sum of $210, 000 and N42 million was found in Dasuki’s houses in Abuja and Sokoto.
In the amended charges Dasuki was accused of being in possession of Trevor Rifles at his residence in Abuja also to have been in possession of $40,000, N5million and £20,000 allegedly in his house in July 2015 and said to be proceeds of unlawful act contrary to Section 15 (3) of the money laundering prohibition act 2011.
The amended charge also indicated that $150,000 and N37 million being part of proceeds of unlawful act was also found in the Sokoto residence of former NSA on July 16, 2015.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed granted bail to Dasuki shortly after taking his plea in the amended seven-count charge.
The judge said that since the prosecution counsel, Oladipo Opeseyi, did not object to the bail of the ex-NSA, the court has to affirm same and ordered the defendant to continue to enjoy the bail condition granted him in 2015 when he was first arraigned.
THEWILL recalls that despite being granted bail by various courts, Dasuki, a retired colonel, has remained in the custody of the State Security Service.
He had in 2015 been admitted to bail by Justice Adeniyi Ademola, but the bail order was not obeyed by the federal government. Other bails granted by Justice Peter Affen and Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf of the FCT High Court were also ignored.
Justice Mohammed, while affirming the bail granted Dasuki in 2015, adjourned the matter till May 11, 2017 for the motion for secret trial by the prosecution to be determined.
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