An Abuja High Court has adjourned the ongoing trial of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), to October 31, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sought time to list one of its witnesses in the case.
The adjournment followed objections raised by the defence team, which argued that the prosecution’s latest witness, Adariku Michael, was not listed in the official documents earlier served on the defendants.
Dasuki, who served as NSA under former President Goodluck Jonathan, is facing an amended 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, dishonest release, and receipt of ₦33.2 billion allegedly diverted from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
He is being tried alongside a former General Manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa, and two firms, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.
The EFCC alleged that Dasuki authorised the release of about ₦10 billion in foreign currencies from ONSA’s Central Bank of Nigeria account to fund the 2014 presidential primaries of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
All the defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, marked FCT/HC/CR/43/2015.
At Tuesday’s hearing, prosecution witness Adariku Michael, an EFCC detective, told the court that the anti-graft agency began investigating the alleged diversion after receiving an intelligence report on September 21, 2015, indicating abuse of office and money laundering.
“I got to know about this case when the commission received an intelligence report on September 21, 2015, bordering on abuse of office and money laundering,” Michael said.
He added that a special task force, led by ACE 1 Halimah Kazeem, was constituted to investigate the report.
“The special task force promptly swung into action and wrote a letter of investigation activities to the Central Bank of Nigeria,” he said.
However, counsel to the second defendant, Solomon Umoh (SAN), objected to NAIJAONPOINT ’s testimony, arguing that the EFCC failed to include his name in its list of witnesses.
“This is against the provisions of Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA),” Umoh told the court.
Responding, prosecution counsel Oluwaleke Atolagbe explained that NAIJAONPOINT had previously testified before the Chief Judge in the same matter, through whom several documents had already been tendered as exhibits.
“This case has lasted almost ten years,” Atolagbe said, urging the court to grant an adjournment to enable the prosecution to “do the needful.”
Justice Charles Agbaza, after listening to both sides, granted the EFCC’s request for an adjournment and fixed October 31, 2025, for the continuation of hearing.
He directed the prosecution to update its witness list before the next sitting to avoid further procedural delays.
Naijaonpoint recalls that Dasuki was first arrested in 2015 and later charged by the EFCC for allegedly mismanaging funds meant for arms procurement under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The trial, which has spanned nearly a decade with multiple adjournments and amended charges, remains one of Nigeria’s longest-running corruption cases.
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