By: Sunday Ameh
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed an application by the Department of State Services (DSS) seeking to re-present exhibits earlier rejected in the ongoing trial of former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd.), over alleged unlawful possession of firearms.
Justice Peter Lifu, who presided over the case, ruled that the court could not admit the same exhibits it had previously rejected, emphasizing that such a move would amount to “judicial rascality and pettiness.”
The DSS, represented by its counsel, Oladipupo Okpeseyi (SAN), had argued that the earlier rejection of the exhibits was due to a lack of proper foundation, which he claimed had now been corrected. He also asked the court to inspect vehicles allegedly recovered from Dasuki’s residence in 2015, currently parked at the DSS headquarters.
However, Dasuki’s counsel, A.A. Usman, opposed the motion, describing it as “strange, baseless, and unknown to law.” He argued that once an exhibit is rejected, it cannot be re-admitted by the same court.
Justice Lifu upheld the defense argument, reaffirming his earlier July 10 ruling that declared the exhibits inadmissible for lack of relevance and proper foundation. He maintained that the DSS’s latest request was an attempt to revisit a settled matter.
“The ruling of July 10, 2025, still stands. Any attempt to go against that decision will amount to judicial rascality. Common sense does not even support granting this kind of request,” Justice Lifu stated.
The judge consequently dismissed the DSS application, reaffirming that the rejected exhibits remain inadmissible.
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