March 25, (THEWILL) – A former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), was on Tuesday re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over alleged misappropriation of N33.2 billion.
Dasuki was arraigned alongside a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Baba-Kusa, and two companies—Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited—on a 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and illegal diversion of public funds.
Their re-arraignment followed the reassignment of the case by the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, who previously presided over the matter.
Dasuki was first arraigned on December 14, 2015, alongside a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Shuaibu Salisu, on 19 charges linked to an alleged N15.5 billion fraud. The charges were later amended, and Salisu’s name was removed.
In a fresh development, Dasuki and the others were re-arraigned on May 11, 2018, on an amended 32-count charge involving N33.2 billion. However, the trial suffered multiple delays, largely due to the Department of State Services’ refusal to release Dasuki on bail despite multiple court orders.
At Tuesday’s proceedings before Justice Charles Agbaza, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Justice Agbaza allowed them to continue on their existing bail terms and adjourned the case until July 1 for trial.
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