Fire-Arms: Court affirms Dasuki’s bail in amended charges

The Federal High Court in Abuja affirmed the bail granted the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), in the amended charges of unlawful possession of fire arms and money laundering brought against him by the Federal Government.
Justice Ahmed Rahmat Mohammed affirmed the bail of Dasuki shortly after taken his plea in the amended seven-count charges.
The judge said since the prosecution counsel Mr. Oladipo Okpeseyi (SAN) 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.
Dasuki had, in 2015, been admitted to bail by Justice Adeniyi Ademola, but the bail order was not obeyed by the federal government, including other bails granted by Justice Peter Affen and Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf of the FCT High Court. The ECOWAS Court, too, ordered the immediate release Dasuki, describing his detention as illegal and unlawful. With all the court orders, the former NSA has remained in the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS) without any legal justification.
In the amended charges, Dasuki was accused of being in possession of prohibited firearms without the requisite licences in July 2015, contrary to Section 28 of the Firearm Act Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
He was specifically alleged to have been in possession of Trevor Rifles at his residence in Abuja.
Besides, the firearms Dasuki was also accused of money laundering and was said to have been in possession of $40,000, N5 million and £20,000 allegedly found in his house on July 2015, and said to be proceeds of unlawful act contrary to Section 15 (3) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011.
The amended charges also indicated that a sum of $150,000 and N37 million, being part of proceeds of unlawful act, was also said to have been found in the Sokoto residence of the former NSA on July 16, 2015.
When the charges were read, Dasuki denied all of them. Prosecution counsel, thereafter, informed the court of his readiness for trial and that he had a motion pending before the court for secret trial, seeking protection for witnesses billed to testify against the NSA.
Opeseyi informed the court that since the amended charges bear the same number with the previous charges, the court should exercise its order on the bail earlier granted the defendant by allowing him to continue to enjoy the bail.
However, counsel to Dasuki, Mr Ahmed Raji (SAN) agreed that the previous bail granted Dasuki be allowed to continue since there was no objection from the prosecution. Raji, however, said he opposed the motion filed since June 3, 2016, seeking protection for prosecution witnesses on the ground that the motion was predicated on the old charge.
He urged the court to allow him time to look for the counter-affidavit filed by his client against the 2016 motion, so as to enable him respond appropriately as required by law.