The Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed June 23 for the hearing of Federal Government’s application to protect its witnesses during trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
The Federal Government had arraigned Dasuki for alleged possession of illegal firearms and money laundering.
Dasuki had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecuting Counsel, Mr Oladipo Okpeseyi (SAN), told the court that he filed a motion seeking court’s order to protect the identities of his witnesses.
At the resumed hearing of the case, Okpeseyi urged the court to grant an order protecting the identities of the prosecution witnesses.
He also asked the court to direct that the identities of Federal Government witnesses should not be disclosed in any records or reports that were accessible to the public.
The prosecuting counsel contended that most of the witnesses were security personnel who were involved in other operations across Nigeria while some were resident within the defendant’s area.
He said his witnesses expressed fear of being identified by sympathisers of Dasuki.
He also submitted that exposing the identity of the prosecution witnesses would make them easy targets of highly possible attacks from those sympathetic to the former NSA.
“These are people who are allegedly in possession of some highly sophisticated arms and ammunition allegedly imported by the defendant,’’ Okpeseyi said.
He said that the defendant while he was serving as National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, imported a large cache of highly sophisticated arms and ammunitions.
Okpeseyi also claimed that most of arms and ammunition had not been accounted for.
He said some of the witnesses, whose tour of duty involved carrying out covert operations for the security of the country, would have their cover blown if made to testify without protection.
He emphasised that such exposure could endanger public security of the country.
But, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN), the lead counsel to Dasuki, informed the court that he would oppose the application.
Daudu promised to file his counter motion to the application at the next adjourned date.
The judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, adjourned hearing of the motion till June 23 and June 24.
