An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Dr. Michael Adariku, on Wednesday gave a detailed account of how billions allegedly released for the 2015 elections were diverted from the Office of the National Security Adviser to private individuals and companies.
Adariku, the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), and four others, testified before Justice C.O. Agbaza of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the EFCC operative told the court that forensic tracking revealed multiple transfers from ONSA-linked accounts to private beneficiaries.
According to him, funds sourced from a Central Bank of Nigeria Signature Bonus account were credited into an ONSA account domiciled in Zenith Bank in April 2015, with a total of N5bn eventually disbursed.
Adariku said analysis showed that part of the funds was later moved into an account belonging to Acacia Holdings Limited at United Bank for Africa.
“From our review of Acacia Holdings’ UBA account 1017330319, we observed that on May 15, 2015, the sum of N119,687.50 was paid to IBB Golf Club, while multiple payments were made to the Abuja Geographic Information Systems as ground rent,” he explained.
He further testified that N800,000 was transferred to Aravcaria Farms Ltd on May 28, while another N2.5m was paid to Mohammed Zaharadeen Baba Kusa, son of one of the defendants and former NNPC General Manager, Aminu Baba Kusa.
The witness added that several large payments followed, including N600m and N200m wired into Acacia Holdings accounts, N750m sent to Reliance Referral Hospital’s First Bank account, and N650m transferred into Acacia Holdings’ Ecobank account totalling N2.2bn.
Although the money was approved purportedly to enhance security arrangements for the 2015 governorship and state assembly elections, Adariku insisted that investigations showed the funds never served that purpose.
“Contrary to the intended application, the money ended up in accounts of private companies and associates of the second defendant,” he told the court.
He added that EFCC intelligence prompted a formal request to the CBN to trace the origin of the inflows into Acacia Holdings’ Ecobank account, which confirmed that each transfer originated from payment mandates issued by ONSA.
The witness identified some of the documents authorizing the transfers, including mandates signed by Dasuki and S.A. Salisu, then Director of Finance and Administration at ONSA.
The documents were admitted as Exhibits F and G1 to G20.
“These initial transfers — N600m, N650m and N750m — are part of the N5bn that left the CBN for ONSA to support election security,” he maintained.
The case is expected to continue on the next adjourned date.