The Federal Government yesterday filed an application before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, seeking the protection of its proposed witnesses billed to testify against the former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki.
The prosecution counsel, Oladipo Opeseyi, yesterday again begged the court for an order to shield the identities of the witnesses and that records of proceedings shall not be made accessible to the public. The prosecution counsel also prayed the court to order that the witnesses should use pseudo names when called upon to testify against Dasuki.
Opeseyi filed the application on the grounds that Dasuki as a former NSA, a retired senior military officer and a crown Prince of Sokoto Caliphate commands large followership in the country who maybe aggrieved over his trial.
The prosecution counsel alleged that most of the witnesses are security personnel and have expressed fears of being identified by members of the public who are sympathetic to Dasuki.
More so, he claimed that while in office as NSA, Dasuki imported into the country a large cache of highly sophisticated arms and ammunitions that have not been accounted for and claimed that huge ammunitions are feared to be in the possession of persons who are sympathetic to the defendant.
Justice Ademola had on April 19, 2016, dismissed similar application brought before the court by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government had applied to the court to stop the public except accredited journalists, legal team and few immediate family members of Dasuki from attending the trial.
Also, the prosecution counsel had begged the court to order that its witnesses be allowed to use pseudo names, be hooded and have their identities hidden before mounting the dock box to testify.
However, that application was dismissed.
Delivering ruling on the application on April 19, Justice Ademola observed that the prosecution counsel had earlier included in the charge sheet, names and addresses of 11 witnesses to be called to testify against Dasuki and had made same available to the general public.
In the light of the afore stated, the Judge considered it baseless and of no point for the prospective prosecution witnesses in the trial to wear facial masks, hide their identity and addresses so as to protect them from alleged attack from those loyal to Dasuki.
Justice Ademola said the government lawyer did not advance cogent reason to show how the life of its witnesses was being threatened, insisting that no court of law would accede to such requests without established reason.
Justice Ademola also noted that the charges filed against Dasuki were not terrorism charges and that there was no information that the life of any of the witnesses to be called was under threat by a group or anybody.
In an affidavit deposed to by one Emmanuel Ikpebe in support of the government application for secret trial, it was said that Dasuki served in the intelligence unit of the army and that a large quantity of ammunitions was found in his house when searched, in addition to various foreign currencies that the defendant could not explain the source.
Consequently, the prosecution counsel prayed the court to hold that special circumstances have been constituted to grant the request.
Reacting, counsel to Dasuki, Joseph Daudu SAN, told Justice Ademola that he was just served with the motion, and therefore needed time to respond.
Dasuki was arraigned on September 1, 2015 over charges that bordered on unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering.
But due to intermittent interlocutory applications from both the prosecution and defence counsels, commencement of trial of the former NSA has been delayed.
The court, however, adjourned hearing of the motion till June 23.
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