Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
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 sitting in Maitama, Abuja, with detailed testimony on the movement of funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, to several private entities and individuals. The proceedings formed part of the ongoing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged misappropriation of public funds.
The first prosecution witness, Dr. Michael Adariku, an investigator with the EFCC, resumed his testimony and provided what he described as a chronological breakdown of financial transactions traced to accounts linked with the ONSA during the period under investigation. Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the witness explained how funds allegedly meant for national security purposes were transferred to corporate entities and individuals for transactions unrelated to security operations.
According to Dr. Adariku, one of the earliest transactions he investigated occurred on April 17, 2015, when the sum of N600 million was transferred from the ONSA account domiciled with Zenith Bank, bearing account number 1014199287, into the United Bank for Africa account of Acacia Holdings Limited. He told the court that prior to the transfer, the balance in the Acacia account stood at only N27,094.49, a figure he said underscored the impact of the inflow of funds from the ONSA.
The witness testified that the investigation revealed a series of subsequent transfers from the Acacia Holdings account to other beneficiaries. On April 23, 2015, he said, the sum of N60 million was transferred to Hidayatul Atfaaf Islamic Academy. Dr. Adariku told the court that the proprietor of the academy, Mohammed Bashir, confirmed during an EFCC interrogation that the payment was a part-payment for the purchase of 3.62 hectares of land situated in Kyami District, opposite Centenary City, along Airport Road, Abuja.
According to the witness, Bashir disclosed that the land was acquired by the second defendant in the case, Aminu Baba Kusa, a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. Dr. Adariku stated that the total cost of the land was N120 million, indicating that the N60 million transferred represented only part of the agreed purchase price.
Still on transactions dated April 23, 2015, the EFCC investigator testified that N25 million was transferred to Zavati Bureau de Change Limited, owned by one Abdulrahman Aliu. He explained that the amount was paid in three tranches of N10 million, N10 million, and N5 million. According to Dr. Adariku, when Aliu was interviewed by the EFCC, he disclosed that the money was a part payment for a property described as Hospitality Property Limited, which was valued at N40 million.
The witness told the court that Aliu further revealed that there was an outstanding balance of N15 million on the property, which was eventually paid through one Ibrahim Saleh Uba. Dr. Adariku identified Uba as an agent and business facilitator for the second defendant, adding that his name featured repeatedly in several transactions traced during the investigation.
Dr. Adariku also testified that on April 24, 2015, transfers totalling N124 million were made from the Acacia Holdings account. He told the court that these transfers were carried out without clear narrations explaining their purposes, a factor he said raised red flags during the course of the investigation. According to him, the absence of proper descriptions for such large transfers made it difficult to link them to any legitimate security-related expenditure.
The witness further narrated that on April 27, 2015, several payments were made for land-related transactions within the Federal Capital Territory. One of such payments, he said, was the sum of N600,157 paid to the FCT Administration as fees for the regularisation of land titles. Another transfer of N8.1 million, he told the court, was made to Ibrahim Saleh Uba as payment to a surveyor for beacon processing for lands purchased by the second defendant in Kwali, Wasa District, Kyami District, and the Central Area of Abuja.
Dr. Adariku also disclosed that on the same date, April 27, 2015, a total sum of N50 million was transferred in five tranches of N10 million each to Squad Developers Nigeria Limited. He told the court that the company is owned by one Sunday Gugu. According to the witness, EFCC investigators interviewed Gugu, who confirmed that the funds represented a part payment for the purchase of a large expanse of land.
The land, he said, measured about 118.2132 hectares and was located at Stadium Layout, Kwali, within the Federal Capital Territory. Dr. Adariku stated that Gugu disclosed the land was purchased by the second defendant for N75 million, leaving a balance of N25 million. The witness added that the outstanding balance was later paid through Ibrahim Saleh Uba, who again acted as agent and business facilitator in the transaction.
Continuing his testimony, Dr. Adariku told the court that on April 28, 2015, a total sum of N55,923,000 was transferred in six tranches to Fastman Investment Limited, acting on the instruction of the second defendant. He said the EFCC invited the Chief Executive Officer of Fastman Holding Group, Farouk Suleiman, who confirmed the transactions during an interview with investigators.
According to the witness, Suleiman went further to explain that he was contacted by the second defendant through one George, a staff member of the then Heritage Bank, to facilitate the transfer of one million United States dollars to a client in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Adariku told the court that Suleiman identified the recipient as Dr. Suleiman Al-Abib of Medical Practice Services in Saudi Arabia.
The witness testified that although the initial instruction was to transfer one million dollars, only a total sum of $630,000 was eventually transferred to Dr. Al-Abib. He said the discrepancy formed part of the issues being examined by the EFCC in tracing the ultimate utilisation of the funds and determining the extent to which public money was diverted for private or foreign transactions.
Throughout his testimony, Dr. Adariku maintained that the transactions he described were not linked to any verifiable national security operations. He told the court that the EFCC’s investigation relied on bank records, interviews with beneficiaries, and documentary evidence to establish the flow of funds from the ONSA to various private accounts.
The prosecution used the testimony to reinforce its case that funds released under the authority of the Office of the National Security Adviser were allegedly used for purposes outside the scope of national security. Colonel Dasuki and the other defendants have consistently denied the allegations, maintaining their innocence and insisting that the funds were expended in line with official directives and security needs at the time.
Justice C. O. Agbaza listened to the detailed account and admitted the proceedings as the trial continued. The matter was adjourned to a later date for further testimony and continuation of the prosecution’s case, as the court seeks to unravel the full scope of the financial transactions linked to the ONSA during the period in question.
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