By Emeka Ejere
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to the former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
This is the sixth bail that will be granted to the former NSA. However, he has remained in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The trial judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, during the hearing on Monday described Dasuki’s continuous detention over the last two and a half years as an aberration to the rule of law and the contrition.
She, therefore, granted the former NSA bail in the sum of N200 million and two sureties.
The sureties according to her, must not be lower than grade 16 in the civil service and where they are private citizens they must be owners of landed properties in Asokoro, Maitama, Utako or Garki area of Abuja.
Also, each surety is expected to pay a sum of N100 million as bail guarantee into the court’s litigation account.
Meanwhile, the judge took a swipe at the (DSS), stating that it cannot give itself the powers to met out punishment at a person, as only the court has the powers to do so at the end of a trial.
She, therefore, ordered that if the DSS want to interview the former NSA in the future, it must be done without detention and on a working day.
On his part, the former NSA also filed a Fundamental Right to Liberty suit, asking the court to order the DSS to release him after two and a half years in detention without trial.
He also asked the court to award him N5billion as general damages and asked it to order the DSS as well as the Attorney-General of the Federation to tender a public apology to him for a long, unlawful and illegal detention.
Justice Ojukwu, however, concluded that since bail had been granted, the court is not inclined to award damages.
The Federal Government had arrested Dasuki in 2015 over an alleged diversion of $2.1billion arms funds.
Subsequently, he was arraigned on 18 counts but his trial has since then suffered series of delays.
In May 2018, the trial suffered a fresh delay as the Federal Government filed 32 amended charges against him and three others.