By Baron Ike
Detained former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) has denied report credited to the Federal Government that he was contacted to attend his late father’s burial and he turned it down. Late Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki died on Monday, November 14 at the age of 93 and was buried the next day.
Dasuki spoke through his lawyer, Ahmed Raji, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) refuting claim by the Federal Government on Tuesday, November 15 that he rejected permission granted to him to attend his late father’s burial held in Sokoto on Tuesday.
Raji who spoke in Abuja on Thursday, November 17, said Col Dasuki never mentioned such offer to any of the lawyers in his defence team.
The lawyer spoke to reporters shortly after Justice Baba Yusuf of the High Court, Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, fixed December 7 for continuation of Dasuki’s trial.
His words: “As his counsel, we are not aware of that. Our client has not told us anything of that nature and it would have been expected that if such a gesture was going to be made to him, we, as counsel, should have been informed so that we could advise him better.
“As I am speaking with you I am hearing about this for the first time. We are not aware of this and our client has not confirmed that the Federal Government extended such gesture to him.”
The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazau, (rtd)Tuesday, alleged that Dasuki, not only declined an offer to visit his late father, Sultan Dasuki while he was in an hospital in Abuja, but also refused to travel to Sokoto to participate in the burial rites.
But Raji reiterated that there was no basis for Dasuki’s continued detention, having been granted bail by three different high courts where he was arraigned, stressing that the federal government ought to have since complied with the order of the ECOWAS court for the former NSA’s unconditional release who has been in detention since November 3, 2015.
Meanwhile, at the resumed hearing Thursday in the Dasuki trial, the first prosecution witness (PW1), Alade Sunday, in the ongoing trial of Biodun Agbele, an associate to the Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State case gave a detailed account of how part of the money allegedly received from the Office of the former NSA was paid into the account of Fayose in different installments.
He gave the breakdown at the resumed trial of Agbele at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.
According to him, while the sum of N2.5 million was paid into Fayose’s account on June 11, 2014, another N90 million was paid on June 23, 2014.
Responding to questions from Mike Ozekhome (SAN), counsel to Agbele, the witness disclosed further that another N1m was paid into Fayose’s account on June 2 while another N895, 315 was paid into the account on June 5, 2014.
Sunday further testified: “The money was packed in Ghana must go and grey tarpaulin bags in two aircraft.
“It took us about 45 minutes to off load the bags from the aircraft with the assistance of Oluolu Omotosho, and some security guards that followed Agbele whose name I cannot remember.
“After our discussion at the airport with the former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, and Agbele, one Adewale, A.O, who introduced himself as the ADC to Obanikoro, accompanied us and insisted that the money be counted.
“It was after we counted the money that we deposited it into the various account numbers he gave us, including that of Governor Fayose.”
He said after specific amounts were paid into the various accounts, the first defendant then instructed that the balance of N263m be transported to Ado-Ekiti. He however maintained that he did not follow Olaolu to Ado Ekiti with the money.
Justice Namdi Dimgba adjourned the matter till 25, 26, and 27 January for continuation of trial.