Dasuki to spend another month in detention before access to lawyers

The trial of a former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki, suffered another setback on Wednesday, as his detention since December 2015, has been cited as reason he has not been able to have access to his lawyers to allow his prepare adequately for his trial.

For this, the embattled former NSA will have wait another one month in detention to have the court rule on a motion seeking the court to compel the Federal Government to give him access to his lawyers, as Justice Peter Affem of the Abuja High Court adjourned hearing of the motion to May 25, 2016.

The trial scheduled to hold today before Justice Peter Affem could not hold with Dasuki insisted that he has not been able to brief his legal team because of his continued detention since last year after being granted bails by three different courts.

Represented by Mr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, Dasuki filed a motion on notice before the court, requesting an order of the court directing the federal government or any of its agents acting on its behalf to provide him adequate time to prepare his defence in the 19 count charges of offenses filed against him.

The motion, dated April 19, prayed the court to compel the federal government to allow any counsel of his choice access to him during working days between Mondays and Fridays at J.B Daudu Legal Chamber in Abuja pending hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed at the court of appeal to stay proceedings at the Abuja High Court.

Dasuki also requested the court to order the federal government to provide adequate facilities for him in order to enable him study the charge and bundle of evidences attached to the charges against him.

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In the motion, Dasuki said he stands for trial on a 19 count charge of offences that he had been admitted to bail and under Section 36 (b) of the 1999 Constitution he reserved the right to adequate time and facilities from the preparation of his defence, adding that he needed at least 20 interactive and instructive sessions with his lawyers on record, or any counsel of his choice in the preparation for his defence.

In a 13-point affidavit in support of the motion and sworn to by one Ahmed Usman, it was averred that Dasuki was admitted to bail on December 21, 2015 and subsequently met all the bail condition that he was released but was immediately rearrested by the operatives of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) without any court order.

The Affidavit said: “Since Dasuki’s re-arrest he has not been allowed access to any of his lawyers neither has he being provided with adequate facilities for him to prepare his defence and that the continued detention since December 2015 has denied him access to his lawyers and adequate facilities to study the charges and get set for his trial.”

Reacting to the motion, the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Olaoluwa Atelagbe, informed Justice Affem that he has been served with a copy of Dasuki’s motion asking for access to his lawyers. Atolagbe however requested for an adjournment to enable him to react to the motion.

Justice Affem adjourned to May 25, 2016 for hearing of the motion.

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