The ten-year-old trial of former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, on charges of unlawful firearms possession suffered another adjournment on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The trial was put off again due to the absence of one of the witnesses of the federal government to testify in the trial.

The fresh adjournment came in spite of the subsisting order of Justice Peter Lifu that proceedings in the trial must be concluded this September by the federal government.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, the first prosecuting witness, Monsur Mohammed, an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), was cross-examined by A. A. Usman, counsel to Dasuki.

However, after the brief cross-examination of the first witness, Justice Peter Lifu ordered the federal government lawyers led by Chief Oladipupo Okpeseyi, SAN, to call his next witness.

In response, the senior lawyer told the court that the proposed witness was not yet in court and applied for a stand-down of the trial to enable him to contact the witness.

Though the request was granted, Okpeseyi, SAN, however, after about an hour came and applied for an adjournment on the ground that the witness would not be able to make it to the court.

According to the senior lawyer, the mother of the witness was undergoing surgery in an Abuja hospital and that the witness elected to be with his mother.

At this point, Justice Peter Lifu drew the attention of the senior lawyer to an earlier order for the ten-year-old trial to be concluded this month, which the lawyer acknowledged.

Justice Peter Lifu fixed September 25 for continuation of trial and for the federal government to put its house in order by ensuring that the witnesses are assembled and brought to court.

Earlier, under cross-examination, the first witness, who claimed to be a Store Keeper with DSS, said that he was trained to handle arms and ammunition, having worked for the secret police for 18 years.

He, however, admitted not having any special license from DSS to handle guns.

Justice Lifu had, at the last adjourned date, fixed September 24, 25, and 26 for the federal government to conclude the ten-year-old prosecution of Dasuki.

The judge had admonished the federal government to call its remaining witnesses, if any, and tender exhibits to establish its allegations against the retired officer during the three-day period.

Similarly, Dasuki, who was put on trial by the defunct Muhammadu Buhari regime since 2015 on an amended 7-count charge of unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering, is expected to open his defense in the charges.

Again, Trial of ex-NSA, Dasuki on firearms possession suffers adjournment