The Federal Government has lost its bid to conduct secret
trial of former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (RTD)
in the charges of unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering
brought against him in September 2015.
The Court said that there was no point for the witnesses billed to be
called to testify in the matter to wear masks and bear pseudo names and
addresses so as to facilitate their protection.
Delivering ruling in an application for secret trial, Justice Adeniyi
Ademola held that the federal government had in the charge against
Dasuki listed the names and addresses of 11 witnesses to be called to
testify against him and made same available to the general public and as
such there was no basis for any hide and seek game in Dasuki’s trial.
Justice Ademola said that there was no basis to grant the request of
government to make the witnesses wear special mask, bear pseudo names
and addresses because the charges were not terrorism charges and that
there was no information that the life of any of the witnesses billed to
be called was being threatened by anybody of group.
The
Court held that although, it has discretion to look into such issues of
protection of witnesses in a criminal matter, such discretion must be
judicially and judiciously used only in cases where threat to life has
been established by the prosecution.
In the Dasuki case, Justice Ademola said that government failed to
establish any fact that life of its witnesses was being threatened and
as such no court of law would accede to such requests without
established reason.
The Judge
had earlier on also turned down an application filed by the former NSA
asking that the charges brought against him be quashed, because the federal government has continued to keep him in detention in contempt of the court.
In the alternative he ordered the Federal Government and its agents,
the Department of States Security Service (DSS) to henceforth allow the
detained former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki have
access to his lawyers and family members in the interest of justice and
the rule of law.
Trial has been adjourned till May 18 and 19, 2016
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