An Abuja High Court in Maitama, presided over by Justice Peter Affen, on Wednesday adjourned sitting till Monday to decide if the former Minister of state for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, ex-governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa and his son, Sagir Attahiru, can be granted bail pending their trial.
All three accused persons are standing trial on a 22-count criminal charge alongside the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and a former Director of Finance in the Office of the NSA, Mr. Shuaibu Salisu.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, told the court that the accused persons prior to the 2015 general election allegedly conspired within themselves and diverted over N13.6billion from the office of the NSA.
EFCC said the accused persons diverted the funds through Dalhatu Investment Limited, which was also charged before the court as the 4th accused person.
All the accused persons had on Tuesday, pleaded not guilty to the charge, even as they separately prayed the court to okay their release on bail pending hearing and determination of the criminal case against them.
Barafawa, while pushing for bail, told the court that his health had badly deteriorated due to his continued incarceration, his son, Sagir, said he has Ulcer. Likewise, the 3rd accused, Salisu, prayed the court for bail because he has been in detention for the past 31 days.
The Commission through its lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs SAN, urged the court to refuse the defendants bail, instead accelerate hearing of the case against them, adding that if they are granted bail, the accused persons have the resources to intimidate, harass and influence the proposed prosecution witnesses.
The anti-graft agency further told the court that the defendants will escape from Nigeria once out of incarceration.
It stated that the defendants are also being investigated in respect of other criminal allegations.
EFCC, through an affidavit that was deposed to by one of its operatives Mr. Hassan Saidu, told the court that the defendants procured “a large volume of assets with the proceeds of crimes,” adding that the assets are currently being traced by a team of detectives.
Saidu said, “if released on bail, the applicants will interfere with the assets tracing activities.”
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