Court Grants Dasuki, Baba-Kusa Bail

REPRIEVE yesterday came the way of embattled former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the Director of Finance and Administration at the NSA’s office, Shuaibu Salisu and former Director with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa and two others as an Abuja High Court admitted them to bail

They are standing trial at the court on a 19-count charge bordering on unlawful diversion of funds and criminal breach of trust preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Delivering his ruling on their bail requests, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf acceded to them, but on the condition that they provide one reasonable and responsible surety in the sum of N250million and a landed property in the Federal Capital Territory worth the same amount.

The court ‎further directed that the surety must be a Civil Servant of the rank of a Director in the Federal Civil Service. According to the court, the surety must also swear to an affidavit of means while the accused persons are expected to deposit their travel documents before the court. They are also to inform the court whenever they need to travel outside the federal capital territory.

Justice Baba-Yusuf had earlier ordered that Dasuki and the Director of Finance and Administration at the NSA’s office, Shuaibu Salisu, should be remanded in the EFCC custody pending the hearing of the bail application.

The embattled former NSA and two others were on Monday arraigned before the court on 19 fresh charges bordering on alleged illegal diversion of public funds, which they all pleaded not guilty to.

When the bail application was argued, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the bail application of the accused persons on the ground that they will jump bail.

Others charged alongside Dasuki and Salisu are Aminu Baba-Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.

According to charge sheet read to the accused persons by the court registrar, the sum of N1.45 billion was transferred into the account of Acacia Holdings Limited for special prayers; N170 million was used for the purchase of a four-bedroom duplex; N2.1 billion was paid into the account of DAAR Investment and Holding Company Limited; N380 million was shared to support re-election of members of the House of Representatives; and another N750 million was paid into the account of Reliance Referral Hospital Limited for special prayers.

Other expenditures include the payment of N670 million to a publisher; the transfer of N260 million to Chief Tony Anenih and another N345 million traced to Dr Iyorchia Ayu, former Senate President.