Ayorinde Oluokun / Abuja

Former National Security Adviser Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the former Minister of State for Finance Mallam Bashir Yuguda, former Governor of Sokoto State Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and three others have denied allegations of diversions, misappropriation and breech of public trust in respect of N19.4billion criminal charge brought against them by the Federal Government.

The six accused persons are on trial for allegedly misappropriating the huge sum.

They were arraigned on a 22-count charge before Justice Peter Affem of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court.

When the charge was read to them, all the accused persons denied the charge one after the others.

Counsel to the Federal Government Mr Rotimi Jacobs SAN requested for an adjournment of the trial till next year to enable him assemble his witnesses.

However, Counsel to Dasuki Mr Ahmed Raji SAN raised the issue of bail for the accused persons adding that motions for their bail have been filed and served on the prosecution.

The prosecution lawyer Mr Rotimi Jacobs confirmed that he has been served with application for bail of all the accused persons and with the consent of all the lawyers in the trial, the trial judge, Justice Peter Affem adjourned hearing in the bail application until Wednesday the 16th of December 2015.

He also ordered that the accused persons be kept in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until their bail is decided tomorrow.

In another case, Justice Sani Yusuf has adjourned ruling on bail applications by Sambo Dasuki, a former director of finance in the office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, and Aminu Kura, former Group General Manager of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation till Friday.

 Dasuki, was arraigned before Justice  Yusuf, alongside  Salisu,  Kura, and two firms, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Reference Hospital,  on a 19-count charge of misappropriation of over N13 billion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Monday.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge and their counsel

, Ahmed Raji had asked for bail, but the court adjourned ruling on the bail applications to Tuesday.

But after over two hours of arguments and counter-arguments from counsel to both parties on Tuesday, Justice Yusuf adjourned bail ruling to Friday.  

He also ordered that Dasuki and the other accused should remain in the custody of EFCC.