The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday intensified its prosecution of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), by tendering new documentary evidence before an Abuja High Court.
Dasuki, who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan, is standing trial alongside a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa, and two companies—Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited—on an amended 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving N33.2 billion.
According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly diverted funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) between 2014 and 2015. Part of the charges allege that Dasuki authorised the disbursement of about N10 billion in foreign currencies from the ONSA account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for political purposes, including the 2014 presidential primary of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
At Friday’s hearing, prosecution witness Adariku Michael, a detective with the EFCC, testified that the agency acted on an intelligence report dated September 21, 2015, which revealed suspicious movements of large sums from the ONSA account.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the witness explained that a special task force headed by ACE Halimah Kazeem was constituted to investigate the transactions. He told the court that letters were written to the CBN and commercial banks requesting transaction details, which were later received, tendered, and admitted as evidence.
Michael stated that investigations uncovered massive fund transfers from the ONSA account to several companies and individuals between October 2014 and April 2015.
Defence counsels—A.A. Usman for Dasuki, Solomon Umoh, SAN, for Baba-Kusa and Acacia Holdings Limited, and A.O. Ayodele for Reliance Referral Hospital Limited—reserved their objections to the new exhibits.
Justice Charles Agbaza, presiding over the case, directed that all parties be given access to the documents before the next proceedings and adjourned the matter to November 11, 2025, for continuation of trial.
The case, which began in 2015, had previously been adjourned to allow the EFCC update its list of witnesses and streamline its presentation.
Dasuki and his co-defendants have all pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include criminal breach of trust under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act.
