What a pity as Dasuki Gates, and the former PDP chairman Dr. Haliru Bello and his son is being granted bail with the sum of N600m

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has

granted bail to the former National Chairman of
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Haliru
Bello and his son, Abba, to the tune of N600m.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed ordered the duo to
pay N300million each, as well as produce two
sureties each, in like sum.
Whereas the court maintained that one of the
persons to stand surety for Bello must be a
Director under the employment of the federal
government or any of its agencies, the son was
asked to produce someone not below grade
level 12 to stand surety for him.
Besides, the court, ordered that the second
surety must be an owner of landed property in
Abuja the value of which must not be below
N300m, adding that the title deed of such
property must be verified and surrendered to
the court registrar throughout the duration of
the trial.
Both sureties are to swear to an affidavit of
means, as well as tender their recent passport
photographs to the court.
More so, Justice Mohammed ordered the
accused persons to surrender their international
passports to the court.
Pending the perfection of the bail terms, the
court ordered that Abba should be remanded in
prison custody, saying the ex-PDP boss should
remain in hospital but placed under police
watch.
Justice Mohammed has fixed February 16 to
commence full-blown trial of the accused
persons.
It will be recalled that the accused person were
on Tuesday, docked before the court by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC.
They are facing a four-count criminal charge
bordering on alleged N300million fraud.
Equally charged before the court was a private
firm, BAM Projects and Properties Limited,
which the EFCC said was used to perpetuate
the fraud.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the accused
persons, through the firm, withdrew the sum of
N300m from an account the Office of the
National Security Adviser, ONSA, operated with
the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
The fund was said to have been transferred to
the accused persons, 11 days to the 2015
presidential election, by the embattled former
National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo
Dasuki, rtd.
However, both Bello who was docked in a
wheelchair and his son, pleaded not guilty
to the charge dated December 23 but amended
on December 30, 2015, even as their lawyers
prayed the court to release them on bail.
Specifically, the former PDP boss, through his
lawyer, Mr. Abdulaziz Ibrahim, urged the court
to grant him bail on rely recognition.
Bello told the court that he is still recuperating
from a spinal cord surgery he had in the United
Kingdom. “The 3rd defendant is over 70 years
old, an elder statesman who has served this
country meritoriously in various capacities. My
lord he was not only a former Minister of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, but also the former
Chairman of one of the biggest political parties
in Africa.
“We pray this court to grant him bail on self
recognition, or in the alternative, grant him bail
on the most liberal terms.  “He has responsible
persons that are ready to stand surety for him”,
Bello’s lawyer submitted.
One of the charge against them read: “That you
Bello Abba Mohammed, BAM Projects and
Properties Ltd and Dr. Haliru Bello on or about
17th March 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction
of this Honourable Court took possession of the
sum of N300million paid into the account of
BAM Projects and Properties Limited with
Sterling Bank Plc from the account of the Office
of the National Security Adviser with the CBN
when you reasonably ought to have known that
the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an
unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo
Dasuki(rtd), the then National Security Adviser
( to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption)
and you thereby committed an offence contrary
to Section 15(2) (d) of the Money Laundering
(Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended in 2012 and
punishable under Section (15) (3) of the same
Act”.