FCT High Court granted Dasuki N250m bail, not us – FHC

Authorities of the Federal High Court of Nigeria on Wednesday distanced the court from media reports indicating that it granted N250m bail sum to the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), and others being prosecuted for diversion of funds meant for arms procurement.

The court’s Acting Chief Registrar, Emmanuel Garko, said in a statement that the Federal High Court could not have granted bail to any of the accused because none of them was charged before the court.

Garko said the clarification was necessary in view of misrepresentation in the media that the Federal High Court granted bail to Dasuki and others at N250m each.

He said, “It will be in the interest of the reporters and editors (the media) to note that these cases involving the accused persons are not all before the Federal High Court of Nigeria as reported by some national dailies, but before Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf and Justice Peter Affen of the High Court of the FCT.”

Dasuki and others were granted bail on two occasions – on December 18 and 21 – last year at N250m by Justices Hussein Baba-Yusuf and Peter Affen of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

Dasuki is currently involved in three criminal cases pending before the Federal High Court, Abuja and the High Court of the FCT, Maitama, Abuja.

Dasuki is being tried alone on a five counts of money laundering involving about N84.6m and illegal possession of firearms before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The second case involving Dasuki is that in which he is being tried with an ex-Director of Finance and Administration in the office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu and former Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa on 19 counts bordering on criminal diversion of funds.

Dasuki, Salisu, Baba-Kusa and two companies – Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited were charged with conspiracy and criminal breach of trust under the Penal Code Act and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act.

The trial judge, Justice Baba Yusuf admitted each of them to bail in a ruling on December 18 at N250m with one surety and adjourned to January 21 for commencement of trial.

In the third case, Dasuki is being tried with former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, his son and firm – Sagir Attahiru and Dalhatu Investment Limited – and former Director of Finance and Administration in the office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu on 22 counts ‎of alleged diversion of over 20bn.

Justice Affen, on December 21 last year, granted bail to each of them at N250m with two surties and fixed February 2 for commencement of trial.