A Federal High Court in Abuja has deferred till Monday the ruling on whether or not to grant bail to former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and five others.
The accused are facing charges of alleged diversion of funds meant for arms for the fight against terrorism.
Hearing of their bail application was differed till December 21 on Wednesday.
Counsel to the accused persons, Ahmed Raji, who led the arguments for the bail application, said the offences for which they were to be tried were bailable.
He added that the accused persons were presumed innocent and were therefore, entitled to bail at the discretion of the court.
The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacob, however, objected the bail application on grounds that the accused persons still had some influence in the institutions they superintended and could intimidate the proposed prosecution witnesses who served under them if released on bail.
The Federal High Court had earlier fixed Thursday, December 17, to rule on the bail suit filed by the former NSA and the other accused persons.
Mr Raji asked the court to adopt earlier bail conditions given to Mr Dasuki by the Federal High Court, as the issues were the same.
In his response, Mr Jacobs said “the case before the Federal High Court is a secondary offense which emanated as a result of the case before the present court and as such, the bail terms cannot apply”.
He added that there were concerns that the accused persons would jump bail or even obstruct ongoing investigations and asset tracing.
Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf adjourned the case after taking arguments for and against the bail application by parties in the suit.
Colonel Dasuki was arraigned along with the immediate past Minister of State for Finance, Mr Bashir Yuguda, a former Governor of Sokoto State, Mr Attahiru Bafarawa and his son Sagir Attahiru, the Director of Finance in the office of the National Security Adviser Mr Shuaibu Salisu and two others.
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