The Abuja High Court on Tuesday deferred the trial of retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the ex-National Security Adviser, pushing the next session to October 21. This postponement grants the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) extra time to call a key witness in the ongoing fraud case.
Dasuki is charged with 32 amended counts, including criminal breach of trust, fraudulent disbursement, and receiving funds amounting to roughly N33.2 billion.
The case revolves around the alleged misappropriation of security funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) accounts. Alongside Dasuki, Aminu Baba-Kusa, a former General Manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), is also implicated.
Additionally, two companies-Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited-are named as co-defendants in the proceedings.
On March 25, the EFCC formally re-arraigned the four accused, alleging that Dasuki and his associates unlawfully disbursed about N10 billion in foreign currency from the NSA’s Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account. These funds were reportedly connected to the 2014 presidential primaries of the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
All defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are registered under case number FCT/HC/CR/43/2015.
During the resumed hearing, EFCC investigator Adariku Michael testified that the commission received an intelligence report on September 21, 2015, which pointed to suspected abuse of office and money laundering. The report revealed that between October 2014 and April 2015, significant sums were transferred from the NSA’s account to various corporate accounts.
Michael detailed that the intelligence was assigned to a special task force led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Halimah Kazeem, of which he was a member, to carry out a comprehensive probe.
“Following the intelligence report, the EFCC promptly launched an investigation, including issuing a formal inquiry to the Central Bank of Nigeria,” the witness stated.
However, during cross-examination, Baba-Kusa’s lawyer, Solomon Umoh SAN, contested the admissibility of Michael’s testimony, arguing that the prosecution failed to list him as an official witness to the defense, breaching Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
EFCC’s lead counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, countered by noting that Michael had previously testified before the Chief Judge in this case and that several exhibits had been tendered through his evidence. He highlighted the lengthy duration of the trial, which has extended close to ten years.
Atolagbe requested a short adjournment to address the procedural lapse, a motion the defense did not oppose.
Justice Charles Agbaza subsequently granted the adjournment, scheduling the next hearing for October 31 to proceed with the trial.