₦33.2bn Dasukigate: Witness details how ONSA funds were diverted to private firms

Nkereuwem Effiong

The trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, continued on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, with the first prosecution witness (PW1) revealing how multi-million-naira funds were allegedly diverted from the Operations Account of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to private companies linked to the defendants.

Dasuki, a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa, and two companies—Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited—are standing trial before Justice C.O. Agbaza of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja.

They face an amended charge of 32 counts bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to ₦33.2 billion.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the witness, an EFCC investigator, explained that the anti-graft agency wrote to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to verify the registration and ownership details of several companies that featured in the investigation. These included Acacia Holdings Limited, Aravcaria Farms, Reliance Referral Hospital Limited, and Pinmax Security and Gas.

According to the witness, CAC responses showed that Acacia Holdings Limited is owned by the second defendant, while Aravcaria Farms Ltd and Pinmax Security and Gas are sister companies to Acacia. The documents also revealed that the wife of the second defendant holds 1.8 million shares in Acacia Holdings Limited. The CAC documents were admitted as exhibits E1 to E4.

Further investigations, the witness said, uncovered that funds were transferred from the ONSA Operations Account (No. 101419287 at Zenith Bank Plc) to accounts belonging to the third and fourth defendants. Payment mandates showed that ₦650.75 million was moved from the ONSA account to Acacia Holdings Limited’s UBA and EcoBank accounts, and to Reliance Referral Hospital’s First Bank account.

Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said the payment instructions, the witness added, were personally signed by Dasuki.

He further testified that a review of Acacia Holdings Limited’s UBA account (No. 1017394650) revealed additional transfers, including ₦200 million from the ONSA account on October 9, 2014.

The statement also showed several disbursements to individuals and entities, including a ₦3 million cheque withdrawal by Atahiru Maccido, the company’s financial controller, on October 14, 2014.

The following day, ₦1 million was transferred to Aravcaria Farm Limited, while ₦2 million in two tranches of ₦1 million each was used to settle a director’s loan.

After hearing the testimony, Justice Agbaza adjourned the case to January 13, 14, and 15, 2026, for continuation of the trial.