Govt lawyer opposes request for treatment of Dasuki abroad

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.
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.