The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday fixed September 24, 25, and 26, 2025, for the Federal Government to close its case in the decade-long trial of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), over alleged unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering.
Trial judge, Justice Peter Lifu, directed the prosecution to call any remaining witnesses and tender all outstanding exhibits to prove its allegations before Dasuki opens his defence.
Dasuki has been standing trial since 2015 on amended seven counts filed against him during the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
At the previous hearing, prosecution witness Monsur Mohammed, an exhibits keeper with the Department of State Services, testified that following Dasuki’s arrest, his houses in Abuja, Kaduna, and Sokoto were searched for firearms and money.
Led in evidence by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Oladipupo Okpeseyi, Mohammed told the court that items recovered from Dasuki’s residence at 46 Nelson Mandela Street, Asokoro, included: two Freedom Radio CDs on Jokolo, two GTBank cheque books, two BlackBerry phones, a Nokia phone, a flash drive, an Apple laptop, and a statement of account.
Other items listed were a Visa card, an approval letter for a radio station granted to Afri-Media Integrated Ltd, one CD on the arrest and execution of Mohammed Yusuf, $500, 533 Saudi Riyals, the data page of Abubakar Dasuki Ibrahim’s passport, his HSBC account book, and a Habibson Ltd cheque book.
The court admitted the items as exhibits MSD 015 to MSD 034 without objection from Dasuki’s lawyer, Ahmed Usman.
In another property at Sabo Birni, Sokoto State, the witness said $150,000 and N37.6m were recovered and deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria. The prosecution indicated it would request the DSS to bring the cash to court as exhibits. No items were found at the Sultan Abubakar Road property in Sokoto.
The prosecution then sought an adjournment to present other materials allegedly recovered during four separate searches of Dasuki’s properties.
Granting the request, Justice Lifu warned that the government must be ready to close its case at the next sitting, after which the defence would open. The judge fixed September 24, 25, and 26 for the trial’s conclusion.
