JUSTICE Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja has granted bail to Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel in the Nigerian Army and former National Security Adviser (NSA).

The judge also had harsh words for the Department of State Services (DSS), which has kept Dasuki in detention despite several court rulings granting him bail.

Dasuki is standing trial for allegedly embezzling the sum of $2 billion which was meant for the procurement of arms for the Nigerian Armed Forces. He was first arrested in 2015 and has remained in the custody till date.

Following Dasuki’s arrest, he was arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on an 18-count charge bordering on abuse of office, money laundering and illegal possession of fire arms. The charges were later amended to 32 counts.

In spite of the fact that Dasuki had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and had been granted bail five times by different judges, the DSS has refused to release him.

Justice Ojukwu’s ruling on Monday is the sixth bail granted to the Dasuki. She described Dasuki’s incarceration at the DSS for more than two and a half years as an aberration to the rule of law.

Ojukwu said the DSS cannot give itself the powers to mete out punishment at a person, as only the court has the powers to do so at the end of a trial.

Channels Televisions reports that, as part of the bail conditions, Dasuki was ordered to pay a bail bond of N200 million, and two sureties who must not be lower than grade 16 in the civil service.

Where the sureties are private citizens, they must own landed properties in Asokoro, Maitama, Utako or Garki area of Abuja. Also, the sureties are expected to pay a sum of 100 million as bail guarantee into the court’s litigation account.

The trial judge also ordered that whenever the DSS wants to invite Dasuki for questioning, such invitation must be on a working day and must not involve detention.

She, however, did not grant the application by Dasuki asking for the sum of N5 billion to be awarded against the DSS, as well as a public apology to be tendered to him by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), for unlawfully detaining him, without trial, for two and a half years.

Justice Ojukwu reasoned that since bail had been granted, the court is not inclined to award damages.