The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Friday reduced for the second time the stringent bail conditions imposed on the detained former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd), by the Federal High Court in Abuja in July 2018.
The court had earlier made the first reduction in a unanimous judgment delivered on June 13, 2019 on an appeal by Dasuki challenging the bail conditions imposed on him by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court’s July 2, 2018 judgment.
The lead judgment delivered by Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson had reduced the bail sum from N200m to N100m and cancelled the condition that he must pay N100m to the account of the Federal High Court, which would be retrievable only after the completion of the cases against him.
Also cancelled was the Federal High Court’s condition that Dasuki’s sureties must submit evidence of tax payments in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Following a further application for the variation of the bail conditions, another three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, cancelled the condition that Dasuki must produce a Grade Level 16 civil servant with landed asset worth N100m within the Federal Capital Territory.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Stephen Adah, the court held it was wrong for courts to make the presentation of civil servants sureties for bail.
In setting aside the Federal High Court’s old bail conditions, earlier on June 13, 2019, Justice Tinuade Akomolafe-Wilson held, “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 was already granted bail by some other courts with sureties to guarantee such bail.”
“What is paramount to note and very relevant is the fact that the terms and conditions of bail granted by the previous courts are extant and have not been breached by the appellant.”
