A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted permission to the immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who has since November 4, 2015 remained under house arrest, permission to be absent from court pending when the interlocutory applications filed by his lawyers and the Federal Government would be heard and determined.
The interlocutory applications pending before the court includes one filed by Dasuki asking for an order directing operatives of the Department of State Service to remove their barricade from his home in Abuja.
The other one was filed by the Federal Government on November 20 asking for the revocation of the bail earlier granted Dasuki on September 1, 2015 on the grounds that the ex-NSA was being investigated for alleged embezzlement of $2bn meant for the purchase of arms from 2007 to date.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola on Thursday overruled the Federal Government which had through the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Diri, on November 23, 2015, asked the court to compel Dasuki to appear in court after absenting himself from court on three previous occasions.
The court, in dismissing Diri’s oral application in a ruling on Thursday, held that by virtue of the provision of section 266(b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, a defendant could be allowed to be allowed to be absent from court during “the hearing of an interlocutory application as opposed trial.
“The two cases cited by DPP are inapplicable to this present case as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act only came into effect in May this year. In overall , the oral application by the DPP is overruled and dismissed by this court,” Justice Ademola ruled.PUNCH
