On 25 March 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), alongside Aminu Baba-Kusa, a former General Manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and two companies, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited, before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court. The defendants are accused of an alleged N33.2 billion fraud, a case which is based on the diversion of funds meant for the procurement of arms to fight the Boko Haram insurgency. A latest twist is merely another episode in a legal tussle that started nearly a decade ago, highlighting Nigeria’s battle with corruption and judicial delay.
The First Arraignment: December 2015
This case has its origins on December 14, 2015, when Dasuki was first brought before Justice Peter Affen of the FCT High Court in Abuja. He was brought into the dock along with some of the senior officials, who include a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, Aminu Baba-Kusa, and the two firms cited above. The allegations initially began on a 19-count accusation of money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and the diversion of about N13.6 billion from the Office of the NSA. The monies are said to have been diverted during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure when Dasuki was serving as NSA, ostensibly to buy arms to help fortify Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram.
The case gained national attention as part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign, which began after he assumed office in May 2015. Dasuki’s arrest in December 2015 followed a government investigation that accused him of orchestrating “phantom contracts” worth $2 billion for helicopters, fighter jets, and ammunition that were never delivered. This initial arraignment set the stage for what would become a protracted legal process, fraught with adjournments, bail disputes, and judicial reassignments.
Why the Re-Arraignment in March 2025?
The re-arraignment on March 25, 2025, is due to a variety of procedural resets and judicial restructuring. The case, starting out as FCT/HC/CR/43/2015, has undergone various amendments and delays over the years. By May 2018, the EFCC had amended the charges, removing Salisu from the list and increasing the counts to 32, while raising the estimated fraud amounts to N33.2 billion. However, the case was halted due to several times the trial was interrupted. DSS did not release Dasuki even after his bail by court. The presiding judges were redeployed.
The most significant event is that Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, who had been the presiding judge, was elevated to the post of Chief Judge of FCT. The administration transferred the case to Justice Charles Agbaza, thus requiring a new beginning-farmed as de novo trial. Such reassignment, with several high-profile cases to be tried pending for long periods of time and under mounting pressure to the judiciary, made the EFCC to re-arraign Dasuki with other co-defendants. The prosecution seeks to have its evidence heard afresh, based on the evidence of one witness—an investigating officer—whose evidence-in-chief was not concluded when the case was last adjourned sine die.
The re-arraignment was a manifestation of broader systemic problems within Nigeria’s judicial processes-including inefficiencies, congested courts, and outside pressures that have delayed this justice for nearly a decade. For Dasuki, an opponent of President Buhari who has consistently denied the charges against him as political in nature, this is another chance to present his side of the case against the allegedly politically motivated charges.
What to Expect
Firstly, the EFCC’s determination to prosecute the case reflects a new impetus under Nigeria’s current anti-graft administration, possibly driven by popular pressure to show results in high-profile corruption cases. Having had only one witness testify, the prosecution will need to present a solid case to secure convictions, particularly given the complexity of financial crimes involving multiple defendants and corporate vehicles.
However, the history of adjournments and logistical challenges, such as securing Dasuki’s presence in court, could continue to hinder progress. Dasuki’s legal team, led by prominent counsel like Joseph Daudu (SAN), is likely to challenge the prosecution’s evidence and leverage procedural technicalities, a strategy that has prolonged the case in the past. Moreover, the implication of prominent individuals such as Baba-Kusa and the corporate bodies may make things more complex, as their defense may rest on dissociating themselves from the alleged conduct of Dasuki.
The outcome of this trial can set a precedent on how Nigeria will prosecute corruption that has implications for national security. A conviction will strengthen the credibility of the EFCC and clearly show a tough line on corruption of public resources. Continued delays or an acquittal may entrench the culture of impunity among the political class and erode public confidence in the judiciary.
This time round, with this re-arraignment on multiple charges in addition to multiple litigations within detention of three years by the Dasukis, re-arraigning is simultaneously burden and an opportunity. Now if bail could come through his defense, still chances remain. After all the facts, nothing may deter such strong sentiments but still, 33.2 billion dollars allegations weigh down enough in making such case a fulcrum debate about governance and justice in Nigeria.
As the trial resumes before Justice Agbaza, all eyes will be on the FCT High Court to see whether this endless saga is finally brought to an end, or continues to be mired in the complexities of Nigeria’s political and legal systems. For the time being, March 25, 2025, looms as a key date in a case that has become synonymous with the challenge of removing corruption at the very pinnacle of the pyramid of power.
