SAN FRANCISCO, June 08, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that it is yet to recover all “sophisticated arms and ammunition” allegedly imported and kept away by the embattled former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
The Federal Government is prosecuting Dasuki before the court on four counts of money laundering and illegal possession of firearms.
In an application filed by its lawyer, Oladipo Okpeseyi SAN, seeking witness protection arrangement for prosecution witnesses in the ongoing trial, the federal government expressed fears that the missing large cache of sophisticated arms were in the hands of some unidentified persons who were sympathetic towards Dasuki.
The prosecution said it filed the application because Dasuki was a man of huge influence across the country, and that the safety of witnesses it intendeds calling would be threatened if their identities were not shielded. It added that although some of the arms and ammunition, including cash in foreign currencies were recovered from Dasuki’s Abuja home, security operatives were yet to locate others.
The application read in part, “The defendant (Dasuki), while serving as the NSA, imported into the country a large cache of highly sophisticated arms and ammunition, most of which have not been accounted for.
“Upon the search of the defendant’s residence, some of these arms and ammunition were recovered, while the whereabouts of others is not known till date.
“A huge volume of these highly sophisticated arms and ammunition is feared to be in the possession of persons, who are sympathetic to the defendant.
“The defendant was the immediate past National Security Adviser, a retired senior military officer and crowned prince of Sokoto Caliphate, who undoubtedly, commands large followership throughout the length and breadth of Nigeria and, who may be aggrieved by this trial.
“The fears of highly probable attack on them (the witnesses) expressed above, has completely eroded the confidence of the prosecution witnesses to testify in this case. The grounds mentioned above constitute special circumstances, hence this application.”
The federal government sought among other prayers, an order allowing prosecution witnesses in the case to enjoy “witness protection by giving evidence behind screen to be provided by the court”.
It also prayed for, “An order directing that the identities of all prosecution witnesses be not disclosed in any record or report of proceedings, which are accessible to the public.
“An order permitting all prosecution witnesses to be addressed with pseudonyms in the course of proceedings.”
