The Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria, on Monday 23rd May 2022, re-arraigned former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), as well as a former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa and former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, on corruption charges bordering on money laundering.
They were re-arraigned at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on allegations of breach of trust and criminal misappropriation of public funds amounting to N388 billion.
In the 16-count criminal charges, Dasuki, Bafarawa and Yuguda were alleged to have diverted various sums in various currencies to different bank accounts under false pretenses of using the funds for the procurement of security equipment.
Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 14 (June 3 – Sept 2, 2024) begins registrations; get massive discounts with early registration here.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and invest in Africa’s finest startups here.
The charges, which were prepared by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), claimed the funds were used to fund the Presidential campaign of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2015 general elections.
However, when the charges were read to them, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty as requested by the Judge.
Following a passionate plea by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, Justice Halilu Yusuf adopted the earlier bail conditions granted them in 2018 when they were first arraigned. The Judge consequently fixed the trial for June 7, 2022.
It could be recalled that on December 1, 2015, Dasuki was arrested by the Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) for allegedly stealing $2.1 billion and accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy 12 helicopters, four fighter jets, and ammunition meant for Nigeria’s military campaign against the Boko Haram Islamist militants.
In November 2018, Dasuki was refused bail by the government despite being granted bail by four different high court judges in Nigeria.
On July 14, 2019, the Court of Appeal in Abuja declared the continued detention of the former NSA since December 29, 2015 by the SSS as illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional.
The appellate court held that the DSS and its Director-General acted outside their constitutional powers on the long period of the detention of a Nigerian citizen and imposed a fine of N5 million on them to be paid to Dasuki as compensation for breach of his fundamental right.
However, the SSS eventually released Dasuki from detention on the 24th December 2019. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and lawyer to the former NSA, Ahmed Raji, confirmed the release of his client; he therefore thanked the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) for ordering the SSS to comply with the various court orders granting bail to Dasuki.
The Minister of Justice and AGF, Abubakar Malami, had reportedly ordered the SSS to release the former NSA alongside the then convener of #RevolutionNow protests, Omoyele Sowore who was also detained.
In a statement personally signed by Malami, he explained that the decision to release the two men was in compliance with the bail granted to them by the court of law.
It’s noteworthy that, as a result of the Pandora Papers’ report, in 2013, Dasuki had set up a shell company with the help of a government contractor, Leno Adesanya. The report found that the sole shareholders were Dasuki’s sons with Adesanya not holding any shares and no other form of clear payment to him.
Adesanya’s representative claimed that no undisclosed favours were gained by the former and that he was simply helping Dasuki’s sons to set up an offshore company.
Now that the EFCC had re-arraigned Dasuki after four years of silence, what actually is the way forward? Is the agency now determined to follow the prosecution to a logical conclusion, or will it still be left haphazardly in the long run?
Besides, don’t Nigerians deserve to know what exactly prompted the long silence, after the erstwhile NSA was granted bail? Too many questions seeking apt answers.