An Access Bank compliance officer, Arhyel Mshelia, has told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, how billions of naira credited to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in 2015 were transferred to several companies and beneficiaries during the tenure of former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd.).Court Case Summaries
Mshelia gave the testimony on Tuesday while appearing as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial involving an alleged ₦4.6 billion arms procurement fraud. The case involves Dasuki and four other defendants: former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, his son Sagir Bafarawa, former Minister of State for Finance Bashir Yuguda, and Dalhatu Investment Limited.
The defendants are facing 25 counts bordering on alleged misappropriation, criminal breach of trust and receiving stolen property. Prosecutors allege that ₦4.6 billion intended for arms procurement to support military operations against Boko Haram was diverted during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
All five defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Reviewing the ONSA account records maintained with Access Bank, Mshelia told the court that Dasuki and Salisu Abdulmalik Shaibu were signatories to the account.
According to his testimony, the account received ₦500 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on March 16, 2015. The funds were subsequently disbursed on March 25, 2015. He also disclosed that another ₦5 billion was credited to the account on April 10, 2015.Buy Maps
Mshelia further told the court that ₦27 million and ₦400 million were transferred to Jabbama Ada Global Limited on April 16, 2015. He identified Salisu Umar Garu as the signatory to the company’s account.
The witness added that Jabbama Ada had earlier received ₦500 million from ONSA on February 5, 2015, followed by another ₦1 billion on April 16, 2015.
He also identified additional payments to the company from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account maintained by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. The transactions included ₦38 million on January 6, 2015, ₦25 million on January 7, 2015, and ₦55 million on February 5, 2015.
The Access Bank official also testified that Onile Nigeria Limited received ₦200 million from ONSA on February 9, 2015, and another ₦100 million on February 18, 2015. He identified Tom Ikimi as the signatory to the company’s account.Buy Maps
Mshelia further disclosed that Jawas Multipurpose Ventures received ₦2 billion, although the specific date of that transaction was not stated in his testimony.
During cross-examination by defence lawyers, the witness acknowledged that he did not know the purposes behind the transactions documented in the bank records.
He explained that Jabbama Ada operated in several areas, including general contracting, oil and gas, land purchases and resale, and transportation.
Mshelia also confirmed that the account records contained transfers to Defence Headquarters, alongside payments from individuals and companies other than ONSA and the CBN.
Responding to questions from James Olatoke, SAN, counsel to Yuguda and Dalhatu Investment Limited, he said he was unaware of any relationship between Jabbama Ada and the two defendants.
The witness maintained that his testimony was based on the financial records available to him and that he could not explain the underlying purposes of the transactions.
Earlier in the trial, the first prosecution witness, Hamza Abdullahi, who served as second-in-command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Special Task Force investigating the alleged arms procurement fraud, told the court that investigators traced ₦4.633 billion to Dalhatu Investment Limited.Consult Lawyers
Abdullahi testified that Sagir Bafarawa was the sole signatory to the company’s bank account.
A second prosecution witness, identified as Yusuf, had also told the court that funds were released from ONSA for the supply of security equipment, but the contracts were allegedly not executed.
According to Yusuf’s testimony, Sagir Bafarawa provided investigators with a list detailing how the funds were allegedly spent.
The witness claimed that some of the money was used to sponsor pilgrimages to Mecca, while another portion was allegedly diverted to finance the 2015 election campaigns of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He also identified the Sheikh AbdurRahman Al-Sudais Foundation, which he linked to former Governor Bafarawa, as a recipient of ₦500 million.
Additionally, Yusuf alleged that Abdallah Wali, the PDP governorship candidate in Sokoto State during the 2015 elections, received ₦580 million through a company.
These claims remain allegations presented by the prosecution and have yet to be determined by the court.
The ₦4.6 billion trial is one of two major arms procurement fraud cases instituted against Dasuki over funds released through ONSA between 2014 and 2015.Consult Lawyers
In the separate case, the EFCC is prosecuting Dasuki alongside Aminu Baba-Kusa, a former general manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), as well as Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.
The defendants face 32 counts involving the alleged diversion of ₦33.2 billion earmarked for arms procurement.
In March 2026, the EFCC re-arraigned the defendants on charges including criminal breach of trust following the reassignment of the case to Justice Charles Agbaza. The case, which began in 2015, has also experienced prolonged delays. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Both proceedings have been affected by lengthy adjournments, including delays linked to Dasuki’s continued detention by the State Security Services (SSS) despite court orders granting him bail.
Dasuki served as National Security Adviser from 2012 to 2015, during a period of intensified Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria’s North-East.Buy Maps
After the change of government in 2015, an audit panel established by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari raised concerns over approximately $2 billion allocated for arms procurement under ONSA.
The findings prompted investigations by the EFCC, which subsequently filed criminal charges against several individuals and companies accused of receiving funds allegedly diverted from their intended security purposes.
Prosecutors have alleged that portions of the money were distributed to political associates, relatives and other beneficiaries for purposes unrelated to arms procurement. The defendants have consistently denied wrongdoing.
Following Tuesday’s proceedings, the court adjourned the ₦4.6 billion trial until November 17, 2026, for continuation of hearing.