Yet again, the Department of State Services failed to produce former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, in court for the continuation of his trial at a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, May 3.

Dasuki, who is on trial for charges of corruption, has been in the custody of the DSS since 2015 despite the bail granted him by an Abuja High Court.

The prosecution – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrived the court premises and gathered its witnesses even as they waited for the commencement of the trial despite the absence of the defendant.

Rotimi Jacobs, the prosecuting lead counsel was also absent because he had another hearing at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Standing in his place was Oluwaleke Atolagbe, who told the presiding judge, Justice Baba Yusuf that all efforts made by the EFCC to contact the DSS to produce Dasuki in court proved abortive and even as at the time of sitting, there was no success to his efforts.

Atolagbe also told the court that there was no indication that Dasuki would be produced by the DSS but however, pleaded with the court to stand down until Jacobs would be present to give more knowledge about the defendant’s absence.

Counsel to Salisu Shuaib, a former Director of Finance ONSA, Akin Olujimi told the court that Jacob’s arrival would mean nothing as the trial could not continue in the absence of Dasuki.

Olujimi berated the prosecution for not asking for an adjournment of the case since it was clear that Dasuki could not produced as the law was definite on the discontinuation of the hearing in the absence of the defendant.

Furthermore, the defense counsel asked the court to direct the prosecution to take the trial seriously and make sure that Dasuki is produced in court in all the stages of the trial as declared by the law.

In his own submission, counsel to Aminu Baba-Kusa, a former Executive at NNPC, Solomon Umor told the court that “ordinarily the prosecution ought to apply for a bench warrant against Dasuki for a failure to appear in court for trial but noted that in the instance case, the prosecution would not do so because they are the one responsible for the absence of Dasuki because of his unwarranted detention.”

“Let the truth be told here that it is the Federal Government that is frustrating this trial because it wants to eat its cake and have it at the same time. By this I mean the government wanted the first defendant tried for criminal matter and yet it was not ready to allow the defendant have access to his lawyers or even to court to face that trial.”

“I would have asked that the defendants in this case be discharged and allow to go home pending the time the prosecution would get serious for their trial. But I will reluctantly concede to one more adjournment be granted to the prosecution.”

“Let me say that this adjournment should go with stern warning to the prosecution should not come before this court with another story because the defendants must not be held to ransom by the unwilling prosecution.”

In his ruling, Justice Baba Yusuf said it was up to the prosecution to produce the defendant in court and regretted that they could not live up to the responsibility.

He however, adjourned the trial to May 23 because the prosecution had shown good conduct in time past.