The trial of a former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), continued on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, before Justice C.O. Agbaza of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, with fresh details on how funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser were allegedly diverted to private beneficiaries.
The first prosecution witness, Dr Michael Adariku, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, told the court that between April and May 2015, hundreds of millions of naira were moved from the ONSA account to companies and individuals linked to the second defendant, Aminu Baba Kusa, a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, Adariku said N600 million was transferred on April 17, 2015 from the ONSA account domiciled with Zenith Bank to Acacia Holdings Limited, which had a balance of just N27,094.49 before the transfer.
He further disclosed that on April 23, 2015, N60 million was paid to Hidayatul Atfaaf Islamic Academy as part payment for 3.62 hectares of land in Kyami District, Abuja, acquired by Baba Kusa for N120 million. On the same day, N25 million was paid in tranches to Zavati BDC Ltd as part payment for a N40 million hospitality property, with the balance allegedly settled through an agent.
According to the witness, additional transfers on April 24, 2015, amounting to N124 million, carried no clear narration. On April 27, further payments included statutory land charges, survey fees, and N50 million to Squad Developers Nigeria Ltd as part payment for over 118 hectares of land in Kwali, Abuja.
Adariku told the court that on April 28, 2015, N55.9 million was transferred to Fastman Investment Ltd, leading to a foreign exchange transaction involving $630,000 sent to a medical services provider in Saudi Arabia. He said the naira equivalent was sourced through transfers from Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.
The witness also detailed multiple transfers to Medical Practice Limited, a company owned by the wife of the second defendant, disclosing that a cumulative N150 million was paid to the firm between April 1 and May 6, 2015.
He added that several transactions were converted into foreign currencies and transferred to accounts in the United Kingdom linked to the second defendant, including dollar and euro transfers routed through Namuduka Ventures Ltd.
Justice Agbaza adjourned the matter until January 14, 2026, for continuation of trial.
Dasuki was re-arraigned by the EFCC on March 25, 2025, alongside Baba Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited on a 32-count charge bordering on breach of trust and dishonest appropriation of N33.2 billion.
