Former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness on Tuesday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki personally endorsed the payment mandates issued to two companies linked to his ongoing trial over an alleged ₦33.2 billion fraud.
Dasuki, who once served as Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), is being tried on a revised 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and the alleged diversion of public funds. The case involves claims that billions of naira meant for national security operations were misused during his tenure.
Also standing trial with him are 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.
The defendants were re-arraigned by the EFCC on March 25, reigniting a case that first began in 2015. Prosecutors accuse them of illegally releasing the equivalent of ₦10 billion in foreign currencies from an account under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), purportedly to fund the 2014 presidential primary election of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
All the defendants have, however, maintained their innocence.
During the resumed hearing, the first prosecution witness, Adariku Michael—a detective with the EFCC—told the court that his investigation team contacted the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to verify the ownership details of several companies and individuals tied to the case.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Michael said the CAC’s responses confirmed that the second defendant, Baba-Kusa, had direct links to the companies under scrutiny.
“We discovered that Acacia Holdings Limited (the third defendant) and Arabcaria Farms Limited are sister companies owned by the second defendant,” the witness stated. “Further checks showed that the second defendant’s wife is a major shareholder in Reliance Referral Hospital Limited, which also belongs to him.”
The EFCC witness further testified that Zenith Bank received several payment mandates from the ONSA, directing the transfer of large sums of money to the accused companies.
“Instructions were issued to debit ONSA’s operational account with ₦600 million and ₦750 million, crediting the same amounts to Acacia Holdings Limited’s UBA account, as well as to Ecobank and Reliance Referral Hospital’s First Bank account,” Michael told the court.
“The payment mandates were duly signed by the first defendant (Dasuki),” he added.
Michael also disclosed that analysis of Acacia Holdings’ UBA account showed an additional ₦200 million transfer from the ONSA.
Defense counsel—A. A. Usman (for Dasuki), Solomon Umoh (SAN, for Baba-Kusa and Acacia Holdings), and A. O. Ayodele (for Reliance Referral Hospital)—noted that they would reserve their objections for a later stage.
Justice Charles Agbaza adjourned the matter until January 13, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.
(NAN)
