THE trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), resumed on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, with the Federal Government making a fresh bid to tender additional evidence against him.
News Point Nigeria reports that Dasuki, who served under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is facing an amended seven-count charge bordering on money laundering and unlawful possession of firearms.
The Federal Government alleges that on July 17, 2015, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) discovered:
$40,000, ₦5 million, and $20,000 at his Asokoro residence
$150,000 and ₦37.6 million at his Sokoto residences a day earlier
Prosecutors insist that these findings contravene the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, and are linked to his tenure as NSA.
At Thursday’s hearing, prosecution counsel Oladipupo Okpeseyi, SAN, applied to the court to admit further proof of evidence.
He also sought an order for the court to move its sitting to the DSS headquarters in Abuja to inspect a vehicle allegedly recovered from Dasuki’s home in 2015.
Okpeseyi argued that the exhibits, though earlier rejected, could now be admitted since a “proper foundation” had been laid through testimonies and documents.
Defence counsel A.A. Usman vehemently opposed the application, describing it as “baseless, ill-conceived, and an abuse of court process.”
He argued that the disputed exhibits had already been marked rejected by the court and could not be smuggled back into the case.
“The only lawful remedy open to the prosecution was to appeal the earlier ruling. This attempt to reintroduce already rejected evidence is procedurally wrong,” Usman maintained.
After listening to both parties, trial judge Justice Peter Lifu adjourned proceedings to October 14, 2025, for ruling on the admissibility of the fresh evidence and the request to relocate the court sitting.
Earlier in the session, the second prosecution witness, Musa Duniyor, a DSS operative, testified that he was part of the search teams that raided Dasuki’s Abuja homes in July 2015.
He confirmed that items recovered included: Bank statements, flash drives, vehicles and large cash sums
Dasuki, who has consistently pleaded not guilty, is also facing two separate money laundering cases before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The trials stem from the controversial arms procurement scandal, in which billions of naira meant for fighting insurgency were allegedly diverted under his watch as NSA.