THE first prosecution witness (PW1) in the trial of a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd) and three others before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday told the court that an intelligent report received by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) led to the investigation of former NSA.
Dasuki is facing trial before Justice Charles Agbaza sitting at Maitama, Abuja, on an amended 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, dishonest release and receiving various sums of money to the tune of N33.2 billion and misappropriation of security funds in the accounts the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), alongside a former General Manager with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa, with two firms: Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.
The anti-corruption commission arraigned the four defendants afresh on Tuesday, March 25 and accused the former NSA, who served in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, among others, of releasing the equivalent of N10 billion in foreign currencies from the NSA’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the 2014 presidential primary election of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Dasuki and his co-defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, marked as FCT/HC/CR/43/2015.
At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, the PW1, Adariku Michael, a detective with EFCC informed the court that the anti-corruption commission received intelligence report on September 21, 2015 bordering on abuse of office and money laundering.
According to him, the report bordered on abuse of office and money laundering, adding that it was alleged that the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) moved huge sums of money between October, 2014 and April, 2015 to accounts of various companies.
He said the report assigned to a special taskforce team headed by ACE 1 Halimah Kazeem, which he was a member, to carry out investigations on the report.
‘I got to know about this case when the commission (EFCC) received intelligence report on September 21, 2015 bordering on abuse of office and money laundering, alleging that the office of the National Security Adviser had moved huge Suma of money between October, 2014 and April, 2015 to the accounts of various companies,’ Michael told the court.
He informed that on receiving the report, the special taskforce promptly swung into action and wrote letter of investigation activities to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It was at this point that counsel for Baba-Kusa, Solomon Umoh, told the court that the PW1 was not listed as a witness by the prosecution on the list of witnesses served the defence team.
According to him, this was against the provision of Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Justice Agbaza subsequently adjourned the case to October 31 for continuation of hearing.