The Federal Government, yesterday, opposed an application by the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), to be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Former national security adviser of ex-president
Goodluck Jonathan, Sambo Dasuki

Dasuki, who is facing a five-count charge bordering
on alleged illegal possession of firearms and money
laundering, is seeking the permission of the Federal
High Court sitting in Abuja to go for three weeks
medical check-up outside the country.

In the application he moved through his lawyer, Mr.
J. B. Daudu (SAN), yesterday, Dasuki urged trial
Justice Ademola Adeniyi to order the release of the
travelling documents he surrendered to the Deputy
Chief Registrar of the High Court.

It will be recalled that the court had on September 1,
granted the embattled former NSA bail on self-
recognition after he deposited his international
passport.

Meanwhile, Daudu, yesterday, told the court that his
client was suffering from a sickness that would
require attention of his medical doctors abroad,
pledging that the passport would be returned to the
court after the three weeks treatment period.

Besides, Daudu stressed, the accused person ought
to be presumed innocent despite the criminal
charges against him.

He pleaded: “My Lord, it is only the living that can
stand trial in any law court. It is highly necessary that the accused person be allowed to go for this medical attention.”

‘Abuja has good hospitals’

However, government, yesterday, vehemently
opposed Dasuki’s application, contending that the
National Hospital in Abuja is well equipped to handle whatever sickness he is suffering from.

Government, through the Director of Public
Prosecution, Mr. Mohammed Diri, main-tained that
the application was a deliberate ploy by Dasuki to
delay his trial.

More so, government, yesterday, told the court that it had already commenced a fresh investigation on
another money laundering case involving Dasuki.
It urged the court to refuse the application for the
accused to travel abroad, saying he could escape if
allowed to leave the shores of Nigeria.

The DPP drew the attention of the court to the fact
that Dasuki’s travelling document was the only
condition upon which he was granted bail, noting
that he did not produce any surety in view of the fact
that he was released on self-recognition.

Meanwhile, after listening to all the parties yesterday, Justice Adeniyi adjourned ruling on the application till today.

On witnesses’ security

Similarly, the court said it will today, decide
government’s application to mask all the witnesses
that will testify against Dasuki.

It had, in an application it filed pursuant to Section
36(4) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 232 of the
Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, prayed
the court to okay secret trial of the former NSA.

Aside praying the court not to reflect the names of
the witnesses in its record of proceedings,
government asked that they be allowed to use
pseudo names.

It was also government’s application that the
witnesses be allowed access to a non-public route to
and from the court premises.

It urged the court to only allow lawyers involved in
the matter and accredited newsmen to observe the
trial.

The prosecuting counsel told the court that Dasuki’s
trial was likely to suffer a setback considering that the witnesses declined to testify without protection for fear that they might be attacked afterwards.

The application was opposed by Dasuki’s lawyer, who urged the court to dismiss it for want of merit and for being frivolous.