Court adjourns Dasuki’s N33.2bn fraud trial as EFCC moves to list new witnesses
An Abuja High Court has adjourned the trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, to October 31, 2025, to allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) update its list of witnesses.
Dasuki is facing an amended 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving N33.2 billion. He is being tried 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.
The EFCC alleges that the defendants misappropriated funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and released about N10 billion in foreign currencies from the NSA’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the 2014 presidential primaries of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
All the defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges (FCT/HC/CR/43/2015).
At Tuesday’s sitting, an EFCC detective, Adariku Michael, testified that the anti-graft agency received an intelligence report in September 2015 alleging large-scale movement of funds by the ONSA between October 2014 and April 2015.
Michael said the case was assigned to a special task force led by ACE 1 Halimah Kazeem, and that investigation activities began with a letter to the CBN.
However, defence counsel Solomon Umoh (SAN), representing Baba-Kusa, objected to the witness’s testimony, arguing that his name was not included in the EFCC’s original witness list — a breach of Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
In response, EFCC counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe explained that the witness had earlier testified before the Chief Judge and that several documents were already tendered through him.
“This case has lasted almost 10 years,” Atolagbe noted, while requesting an adjournment to regularize the witness list, a move unopposed by the defence.
Justice Charles Agbaza granted the request and adjourned the case to October 31 for continuation of hearing.