Former National Security Adviser and co to be arraigned today monday

Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.)

*Bafarawa, Yuguda to be docked this Tuesday on 22-count charge

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), and four others were on Monday arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Abuja on a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N13, 570,000, 000.00.

Also on Tuesday, Dasuk,; former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, former Minister state for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; the former Director of Finance and Administration, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Shuaibu Salisu; Sagir Attahiru, and Dalhatu Investment Limited will be docked on a 22-count fraud charge before Justice Avem Peter.

The five accused persons comprising Dasuki, Salisu, a former General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Babakusa; Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited were put on trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on behalf of the Federal Government.

However, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to them by Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf.

Part of the charges read: ‘’That you, Col. Mohammed Dasuki( rtd.), whist being the National Security Adviser and Shuaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser, and Hon. Warripamowei Dudafa (now at large), whilst being Senior Special Assistant, Domestic Affairs to the President, on or about 27th November, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court entrusted with dominion over certain properties, to wit: the sum of N10, 000,000,000( Ten Billion Naira) being part of the funds in the account of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria( CBN), the equivalent of which sum you received from the Central Bank of Nigeria in foreign currency to wit: $47,000,000( Forty-Seven Million United States Dollars) and 5.6 million Euros, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you claimed to have distributed same to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) presidential primary election delegates and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4 LFN 2004.’

‘‘That you, Col. Muhammed Dasuki( rtd.), whilst being the National Security Adviser, and Shuaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser between October, 2014 and April, 2015 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court agreed to do an illegal act to wit: criminal breach of trust by public officers in respect of an aggregate sum of N13, 570, 000,000.00( Thirteen Billion, Five Hundred and Seventy Million) being part of the funds in the account of the office of the National Security Adviser and that the same act was done in pursuance of the agreement among you and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4, LFN 2004.’’