TheCable

Ahmed Mohammed, justice of the federal high court, Abuja,  is going to decide if witnesses in the trial of Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA), will be shielded on March 1.

Dasuki is facing two-counts of illegal possession of firearms and money laundering brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Mohammed “inherited” the case from Adeniyi Ademola, who is facing charges of alleged corruption.

On Tuesday, Oladipo Okpeseyi, counsel to the federal government and prosecution, prayed the court to shield the identities of the witnesses that would testify in Dasuki’s trial for their safety.

The government had made the same request to Ademola when he was handling the trial, but the judge did not grant it.

Objecting to the request, Ahmed Raji, counsel to Dasuki, argued that there was no justification for his client to be tried in secret, reminding the court that the same application had earlier been dismissed by another court.

However, the hearing of the application could not continue because Okpeseyi asked the court to give him some time to respond to a counter-affidavit filed by Dasuki’s counsel.

The judge, thereafter, adjourned the matter to March 1.

Besides his case at the federal high court, Dasuki is facing multiple charges of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).