Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), former Minister of State for Finance, Mallam Bashir Yuguda, one-time Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, and three others have denied allegations of diversions, misappropriation and breach of public trust in respect of N19.4 billion criminal charges brought against them by the Federal Government.

The six accused persons are on trial for allegedly misappropriating the huge sum.

They were arraigned today on 22-count charges before Justice Peter Affem of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja High Court.

When the charges were read to them, all the accused persons denied the charges one after the other.

Counsel to the Federal Government, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, requested for an adjournment of the trial till next year to enable him assemble his witnesses.

However, counsel to Dasuki, Mr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, raised the issue of bail for the accused persons, adding that motions for their bail have been filed and served on the prosecution.

Rotimi Jacobs confirmed that he had been served with application for bail of all the accused persons and with the consent of all the lawyers in the trial, the trial judge, Justice Peter Affem, adjourned hearing in the bail application until tomorrow, December 16.

He also ordered that the accused persons be kept in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until their bail is decided tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in another FCT High Court presided by Justice Sani Yusuf, the court adjourned its bail ruling till Friday.

Mr. Dasuki, who was arraigned before Justice Sani Yusuf, alongside a former Director of Finance at the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, and a former Group General Manager of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Kura, and two firms, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Reference Hospital, had on Monday filed for bail after pleading not guilty to the 19-count charge preferred against them by EFCC.

After over two hours of arguments and counter-arguments from counsel to both parties, Mr. Yusuf adjourned bail ruling to Friday.

•Photo shows, L-R; Dasuki, Bafarawa and the other accused persons in court today.

Update news