Dasuki Trial: Co-Defendant Admits Writing EFCC Statement After Reading Cautionary Words
Dasuki Trial: Co-Defendant Admits Writing EFCC Statement After Reading Cautionary Words
Dasuki Trial: Co-Defendant Admits Writing EFCC Statement After Reading Cautionary Words
Aminu Baba Kusa, the second defendant in the ongoing trial involving former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on Friday admitted before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that he personally wrote his extrajudicial statement while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Kusa made the admission during cross-examination by prosecuting counsel O.A. Atolagbe before Justice Charles O. Agbaza in a trial-within-trial convened to determine the admissibility of the statement.
The development followed Kusa’s claim during the main trial that the statement had been obtained under duress, contrary to the provisions of Sections 15(4) and 17(3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
Under cross-examination, Kusa acknowledged that he read and understood the cautionary words presented to him before writing the statement and confirmed that he voluntarily appended his signature to the document.
The former Group Executive Director of the former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, now Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, also admitted that the statement was made after a search had been conducted at his residence and that its contents were based on the outcome of the search.
In challenging Kusa’s assertion that he spent 30 days in EFCC custody between November 24 and December 24, 2015, the prosecution pointed out that court records showed he appeared before Justice Baba Yusuf on December 14, 15 and 18, 2015. According to the prosecution, Kusa was granted bail and subsequently released after meeting his bail conditions.
The cross-examination came after Kusa had been led in evidence by his counsel, alongside proceedings involving counsel to the third defendant, Solomon Umoh (SAN).
Following the proceedings, Justice Agbaza adjourned the matter until July 3, 2026, for the continuation of the trial-within-trial.
Kusa is standing trial alongside Dasuki, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited, Abuja, on a 32-count charge brought by the EFCC. The charges border on alleged criminal breach of trust and dishonesty involving the sum of N33.2 billion.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges, while the court continues hearing arguments on the admissibility of evidence presented by the prosecution.
Dasuki Trial: Co-Defendant Admits Writing EFCC Statement After Reading Cautionary Words
