EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday rejected an application by former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, seeking ex-National Security Adviser,NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki(Rtd) to testify in his ongoing trial.
Justice Okon Abang in his ruling held that Metuh’s application lacks merit and since the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) does not make it mandatory for the court to grant such application, as such “it is accordingly dismissed.”
The judge held that there is no evidence before the court to show that Metuh applied to the authority (the Department of State Services) keeping Dasuki and was rejected. “The first defendant cannot come to the court first when he has not approached the DSS.”
“The application was not made in good faith because the name of Dasuki was not included in the list of witnesses earlier filed by the defense, the application is an afterthought.”
“It will not serve any useful meaning to subpoena Dasuki because the 1st defendant (Metuh) has exhausted his five adjournments provided for him by the ACJA since April… he will need an adjournment to be able to call a witness as of right”, the judge ruled.
The court had also earlier dismissed a second application by Metuh seeking for the leave of the court to release his international passport to enable him travel to the United Kingdom for medical purposes.
Counsel to Metuh, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) in a submission after the rulings said “the court has not only shown bias but clear bias against the interest of the first defendant.”
“We are not confidence that the court will give us justice in this matter.”, he said
The former PDP spokesperson is currently facing trial before the Justice Abang-led court for allegedly receiving the sum of N400 million from Dasuki.