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By Fatima Mukhtar | AbC News
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has rejected an application by the Department of State Services (DSS) seeking to re-admit exhibits earlier dismissed in the ongoing trial of former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
Delivering the ruling on Monday, Justice Peter Lifu dismissed the DSS request, describing it as a legal misstep and an attempt to make the court sit in judgment over its own previous ruling. The judge said the bid to re-introduce the rejected items amounted to “judicial rascality,” stressing that the court cannot revisit issues already decided.
The rejected exhibits, which include 11 vehicles seized from Dasuki’s residence during a 2015 search, were previously struck out for lack of relevance and failure to meet the standard for admissibility. Justice Lifu reaffirmed that the earlier decision remains valid, declaring that the exhibits “stand rejected” and cannot be reconsidered by the same court.
Reports from Independent Nigeria and BusinessDay indicated that the DSS had urged the court to inspect the seized vehicles still kept at its headquarters and allow them to be presented again as evidence. The defence team, however, strongly opposed the move, insisting that it was an abuse of process and contrary to established judicial procedure.
Agreeing with the defence, Justice Lifu maintained that no trial court has the power to overturn its own final decision. He subsequently dismissed the DSS’s application in its entirety.
Dasuki, who served as National Security Adviser under former President Goodluck Jonathan, has been on trial since 2015 over allegations bordering on unlawful possession of firearms and misappropriation of public funds. The case is expected to continue with the cross-examination of witnesses already on record.
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