Dasuki trial adjourned until October 21 over EFCC witness

The Abuja High Court has adjourned the trial of former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki until 21 October. The postponement was granted to allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to list a witness who will testify in the case.

Dasuki faces a 32‑count charge of criminal breach of trust, dishonest release and receipt of various sums of money totaling N33.2 billion. The charges arise from the alleged misappropriation of security funds in the accounts of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). He is being tried alongside former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation General Manager Aminu Baba‑Kusa and two firms, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited. The EFCC arraigned the four defendants in March, accusing Dasuki of releasing the equivalent of N10 billion in foreign currencies from the NSA’s account for the 2014 People’s Democratic Party presidential primary election. All defendants pleaded not guilty.

During the resumed hearing, prosecution witness Adariku Michael, an EFCC detective, told the court that the commission had received an intelligence report in September 2015 concerning abuse of office and money laundering. Michael alleged that the NSA moved huge sums of money between October 2014 and April 2015 to accounts of various companies. His testimony was cut short when Baba‑Kusa’s counsel, Solomon Umoh, pointed out that the witness had not been listed on the prosecution’s witness list served to the defence. Prosecutor Oluwaleke Atolagbe acknowledged the oversight and requested an adjournment to correct it.

Justice Charles Agbaza granted the adjournment and set the next hearing for 21 October. The trial, now approaching a decade, sees the prosecution seeking to prove that Dasuki and his co‑defendants engaged in corrupt practices while in office. The additional time will enable the EFCC to gather and present further evidence, and the trial’s outcome will have significant implications for the defendants and Nigeria’s broader anti‑corruption efforts.