A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on Wednesday told a Federal Capital Territory High Court that statements made by the defendants were given voluntarily and under caution.
The witness, Salihu Kadiri, who appeared as the third prosecution witness, made the assertion during a trial-within-trial before Justice Charles Agbaza in Abuja.
Dasuki is being tried alongside Aminu Baba Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited on a 32-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, bordering on alleged breach of trust and dishonesty involving about N33.2 billion.
The court had earlier ordered the trial-within-trial following objections by defence counsel, Richard Ebie and A.O. Ayodele, who challenged the admissibility of their clients’ extrajudicial statements. They argued that the statements were not made voluntarily and therefore contravened provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Kadiri, an EFCC investigator, told the court that the second defendant made his statement in the presence of EFCC officials after being duly cautioned. He maintained that the process complied with standard procedures.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Solomon Umoh, SAN, the witness confirmed that records existed showing visits by staff of Acacia Holdings Limited to the defendants while in EFCC custody. He also stated that although there were no video recordings of the statement-taking process, a CCTV camera was present, noting that the incident occurred about a decade ago when video recording was not a legal requirement.
Responding to further questions, Kadiri said his signature was not mandatory on the statement, though he acknowledged that his handwriting appeared on the document.
After hearing the submissions, Justice Agbaza adjourned the case to May 15 and 29, 2026 for the defence to open its case.
