ABUJA, Nigeria – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, and three other individuals on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, before an Abuja High Court over an alleged N33.2 billion fraud.
Dasuki, along with Aminu Baba-Kusa, the former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and two companies—Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited—faced the new charges.
The case was reassigned to Justice Charles Agbaza after being handled previously by the FCT Chief Judge, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf.
Dasuki’s legal troubles date back to December 14, 2015, when he was first arraigned on a 19-count charge of fraud, alongside Shuaibu Salisu, the former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The charges were later amended, and Salisu’s name was dropped from the indictment.
On May 11, 2018, the case was restructured to include 32 counts, accusing Dasuki and others of criminal breach of trust, dishonest release of funds, and receiving sums of money amounting to N33.2 billion.
The prosecution has yet to complete its case, with only one witness—an investigating officer—having testified before the case was adjourned indefinitely.
In addition to this case, Dasuki is involved in another separate case, which was transferred to Justice Yusuf Halilu.
This case charges Dasuki and others, including former Minister of State for Finance Bashir Yuguda and former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, with misappropriating N19.4 billion.
Both cases have faced numerous adjournments, partly due to the Department of State Service (DSS) initially refusing to release Dasuki on bail.
At the fresh hearing, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the 32 charges.
The prosecution, led by Oluwaleke Atolagbe, requested dates for the trial to commence.
Defense counsel for Dasuki, A.A. Usman, and Richard Ibiye, representing Baba-Kusa and the companies, requested that the defendants be allowed to maintain their existing bail conditions, citing their record of court attendance.
The prosecution did not object, and Justice Agbaza granted the request.
The court adjourned the case until July 1, 2025, for the commencement of trial.
