Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) on Thursday decried the Federal Government’s action barring him from having unfettered access to his lawyers.
He said this was preventing him from adequately preparing his defence against the allegation of illegal possession of fire arms levelled against him by the government.
Speaking through his counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), Dasuki told the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that the Federal Government has no moral or legal justification to continue his trial because it had disobeyed a court order granting him bail on November 3, 2015.
He said he was being held illegally since his re-arrest at the entrance of Kuje Prisons by the Department of State Services (DSS) on November 3, 2015, as he had not been arraigned or told the reason for his continued incarceration.
While arguing the motion, Dasuki’s counsel said the Federal Government was in contempt of the court by continuing to hold his client, since there was no court order reversing or reviewing the bail granted since November 3, 2015.
Daudu equally argued that the Federal Government could not lawfully prosecute his client while keeping him away from his lawyers, as it would amount to a violation of his bail and the constitution.
The counsel then prayed the court to prohibit the Federal Government from prosecuting Dasuki until it has done the needful.
The application was however opposed by counsel to the Federal Government, Dipo Okpeseyi (SAN), who argued that the application was meant to frustrate the trial and restrain the power of the government to prosecute a criminal charge, and urged the court not to grant it.
Furthermore, Okpeseyi said there was no evidence before the court to suggest that the government was preventing the defendant from defending himself or that the government violated his bail by re-arresting him on another matter.
He then urged the court to dismiss the application for lack of merit.
The presiding judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, after listening to both arguments, deferred ruling on the application till April 4, 2016.
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