Former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki
An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bello Umar, has testified that Olugbenga Obadina, Chairman and CEO of Almond Projects Limited, received a staggering N2.1 billion from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), without executing any contract.
Umar, who appeared as the first prosecution witness (PW-1), gave this account before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja. He was led in evidence by EFCC’s counsel, Ibrahim Buba.
The case forms part of a broader probe into the alleged diversion of N33.2 billion intended for arms procurement under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The funds were reportedly meant to combat Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria’s northeast.
According to Umar, the EFCC’s investigation began following a petition from the NSA’s office alleging that Obadina had received full payment for a project that was never carried out.
“We contacted the office of the National Security Adviser to verify the conclusion or execution of those projects. They told us they did not have any contract with the defendants,” Umar told the court.
He explained that the investigation involved letters to multiple banks and regulatory agencies, including a request to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which confirmed Obadina as the owner of Almond Projects Limited.
“The total amount of the money is N2.1 billion naira,” Umar said, noting the payments were made in six instalments across GTBank and Zenith Bank accounts linked to Obadina and his company.
The EFCC investigator stated that when Obadina was invited for questioning, “all the explanations he gave could not hold water,” adding that no evidence of any executed contract was provided.
Obadina’s extra-judicial statement was reportedly taken in the presence of his lawyer, identified as Dr. Nasiru.
EFCC prosecutor Buba sought to tender six documents, including payment statements and correspondence from the NSA’s office. While Obadina’s lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, raised no objection to the CAC documents and bank statements, he strongly opposed the admissibility of a letter from the NSA dated May 5, 2016, as well as the extra-judicial statement.
Adedipe argued the statement was “not voluntarily made,” claiming Obadina had spent around 40 days in EFCC custody before it was obtained.
“In fact, the defendant has to approach a court for his fundamental right and there is judgment to the effect,” Adedipe told the court. He cited violations of Sections 28 and 29 of the Evidence Act and Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, stating there was no video evidence and no legal representation during the statement’s recording.
Buba countered the objections, asserting that the documents from the NSA’s office were properly sourced and relevant. “These documents are in the office of the NSA and it is the NSA that is competent to certify them,” he said.
He also clarified that the extra-judicial statement was not confessional in nature, and was recorded with a lawyer present. “If the defence is insisting that the statement was not voluntary, the prosecution would be applying for a trial-within-trial,” Buba added.
Justice Omotosho admitted four documents as exhibits — the GTBank and Zenith Bank statements, the CAC confirmation, and one NSA letter. However, he postponed ruling on the admissibility of the NSA’s May 5, 2016 letter until December 2.
Obadina was re-arraigned on January 13, 2024, on an eight-count charge involving N2.17 billion allegedly laundered. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail set at N500 million, with two sureties.
Count three of the charge alleges that on April 3, 2014, Obadina and Almond Projects Limited received N648 million directly into a Zenith Bank account, funds which were purportedly drawn from the NSA’s office without any valid contract.
The EFCC maintains the funds are linked to “unlawful activity” involving Dasuki and fall under offences prohibited by Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012), and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
This isn’t Obadina’s first time in court over the matter. He was initially arraigned in 2016 before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba. That judge was recently elevated to the Court of Appeal after closing arguments had been filed in the previous proceedings.
NAN
