Court overrules govt on Dasuki’s detention at SSS office

Judge orders neutral place for NSA ex-chief to brief lawyers

A Federal Capital Territory High Court yesterday overruled the Federal Government in its decision to confine the detained former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki to the premises of the Department of the State Security Service (DSS) for accessing and briefing his lawyers.

The court ordered that ex-NSA must be allowed to access and brief his lawyers at a neutral place to enable him prepare adequately for his defence in the trial rather than the premises of the DSS Headquarters in Abuja.

Justice Husain Baba Yusuf, who issued the order, also directed that henceforth, the detained ex-NSA should be allowed by the DSS operatives to access his lawyers within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory judiciary headquarters in Maitama, Abuja between Monday and Friday this week.

Justice Yusuf’s pronouncement followed a complaint by Dasuki’s counsel, Mr. Adeola Adedipe, that Dasuki’s legal team had not been allowed direct access to him in spite of Court order made on April 6.

At the resumed hearing, counsel to the Federal Government, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) told the Judge that the case was slated for commencement of trial and that he was fully ready with his witnesses.

But Adedipe informed the court that he was not ready for any trial because the ruling of April 6, which ordered DSS to allow them access to their client for briefing so as to prepare his defence, has not been complied with by the security agency.

The counsel claimed that following the April 6 ruling, a letter by Dasuki’s lead counsel, Mr. Joseph Daudu, dated April 13, was dispatched to the DSS requesting for permission to access Dasuki outside the DSS office as contained in the ruling of the court.

Adedipe however, informed the court that to their surprise, the prosecution counsel, Jacobs, replied on April 18 to the effect that the access to Dasuki would be granted at a convenient and unhindered in a special room at the DSS Headquarters.