EFCC WITNESS TELLS COURT DASUKI SIGNED N33.2BN PAYMENT MANDATES

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness on Tuesday told an Abuja High Court that former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, duly signed payment mandates authorizing the transfer of billions of naira to companies linked to the alleged diversion of security funds.

Dasuki, who served as NSA under former President Goodluck Jonathan, is facing trial on an amended 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, dishonest release, and receipt of public funds amounting to ₦33.2 billion.

He is being tried alongside 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 re-arraigned the defendants on March 25, 2025, in continuation of a case that began in 2015.

At the resumed hearing, prosecution witness one (PW1), Adariku Michael, an EFCC detective, told the court that Dasuki signed multiple payment mandates directing transfers from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to the accused companies.

Led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the witness said the investigative team wrote to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to verify the registration details of the companies involved.

According to him, CAC responses admitted in evidence revealed that the second defendant, Baba-Kusa, owned Acacia Holdings Limited and Arabcaria Farms Limited, while his wife was a major shareholder in Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.

“We discovered that Acacia Holdings and Arabcaria Farms are sister companies owned by the second defendant,” Michael told the court. “Further analysis showed that Reliance Referral Hospital also belongs to him through his wife.”

He added that payment instructions from ONSA directed Zenith Bank to debit its operations account with sums of ₦600 million and ₦750 million, crediting Acacia Holdings Limited’s UBA account, Ecobank account, and Reliance Referral Hospital’s First Bank account.

“The payment mandates were duly signed by the first defendant (Dasuki),” he testified, adding that another ₦200 million was transferred from ONSA to Acacia Holdings’ account.

Defence counsel A. A. Usman (for Dasuki), Solomon Umoh (SAN) (for Baba-Kusa and Acacia Holdings Limited), and A. O. Ayodele (for Reliance Referral Hospital Limited) reserved their objections to the evidence.

Justice Charles Agbaza adjourned the case until January 13, 2026, for continuation of hearing.