An FCT High Court on Thursday refused the request of retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser, to consolidate his two cases pending before the court.
Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf in his ruling on Dasuki’s application, held that the two sets of charges brought against him could not be consolidated because of many defendants involved.
Baba-Yusuf said: “The two charges, if merged, will make the trial difficult for the court to manage. Consolidation of the two charges will make the trial cumbersome.
“The alleged offences, which brought about the two charges, were not committed in one transaction and also the high number of the defendants involved in the two charges.”
Baba-Yusuf said the applicant had not shown that he had been tried or convicted on the same offence before any other court.
The judge also held that the fear of double jeopardy was not substantiated because trials in the two charges had not started in full.
He said that it was premature for the applicant to raise the issue of double jeopardy and abuse of court process.
Dasuki, a former NSA to former President Goodluck Jonathan, was arraigned on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged diversion of N13.6 billion.
He is being tried alongside Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance, Office of the NSA, and Aminu Baba-Kusa, a former NNPC Executive Director and two others in one case.
In the other charge, Dasuki is the second defendant, while Ambassador Bashir Yuguda is the first defendant.
The others are Shuaibu Salisu, a former Director of Finance, Office of the NSA; Dalhatu Investment Limited; Sagir Attahiru; and Attahiru Bafaarawa, a former governor of Sokoto State.
They were arraigned on a 22-count charge bordering on conspiracy, bribery, abuse of office and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N28.3 million.
Dasuki, through his counsel Joseph Daudu (SAN), had earlier prayed the court to consolidate his two cases pending before Baba-Yusuf.
The matter was adjourned till March 17 for commencement of trial.
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