Alleged N32bn arms deal fraud: Court grants Dasuki, others bail

Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf‎ of the Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama has granted bail to the former National Security Adviser, ‎NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, rtd.

Others equally granted bail by the high court were the erstwhile Director of Finance in the Office of the NSA, Mr. Shuaibu Salisu and the former Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission, NNPC, ‎Aminu Baba-Kusa‎.
The trio are answering to a ‎19-count criminal charge that was preferred against him by the Economic ‎and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In a ruling this afternoon, trial Justice Yusuf gave the accused persons bail in the sum of N200million each.
‎The court further ordered the accused persons to produce one surety each, who must be a serving or retired civil servant not below the rank of a Director.
According to the court, the surety must show evidence of his or her ownership of a landed property in Abuja of ‎which value must not be lower than N200million.
‎Besides, the accused persons were ordered to surrender their international passports to the Registrar of the High Court, even as they were forbade from travelling outside the jurisdiction of the court without permission.
Dasuki and the other accused persons are facing trial alongside ‎two firms- Acacia Holding Limited and Reliance Referal Hospital Limited.
EFCC alleged that the two firms served as conduit pipes through which over N32billion was allegedly looted ‎from bank accounts that were operated by the office of the NSA‎.
‎Eventhough Dasuki had through his lawyer, Mr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, urged the court to grant him bail on self recognition, his prayer was rejected by Justice Yusuf.