The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division has, for the second time in barely five months done a downward review of the stringent bail conditions imposed on the former national security adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) on July 2, 2018 by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court.
The court made the first reduction in a unanimous judgment which it delivered on June 13, 2019 following an appeal by Dasuki challenging the bail conditions imposed on him by Justice Ojukwu.
The lead judgment delivered by Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson, had reduced the bail sum from N200 million to N100 million and also cancelled the condition that he must pay N100 million to the account of the Federal High Court which would be retrievable only after the completion of his trial.
“The imposition of these stringent terms of bail on the appellant practically amounts to a refusal of bail, thereby keeping the appellant perpetually in custody.
“One must put into consideration that this same singular appellant already been granted bail by some other courts with sureties to guarantee such bail,” the judge held.
Also nullified was the Federal High Court’s condition that Dasuki’s sureties must submit evidence of tax payments for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The appellate court also awarded N5m damages against the federal government for the unlawful detention of the applicant who had been in the custody of the DSS since December 29, 2015, despite series of court orders directing his release.
Following a further application for the variation of the bail conditions, another three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, quashed the condition that Dasuki must produce a Grade Level 16 civil servant with landed asset worth N100 million within the Federal Capital Territory.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Stephen Adah today, the court set aside the requirement that Dasuki produced a Level 16 civil servant who must own a property worth N100 million within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
Justice Adah said it was wrong for courts to require civil servants to stand as surety when bail is granted.
