Nigeria’s former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, is currently facing corruption charges in his home country.
However, documents reveal that suspicions about his financial dealings date back years, stretching across the Atlantic to South Carolina, where he purchased a horse farm in 2002 using dubious funds, according to an exclusive report by Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
Dasuki’s troubles began shortly after his removal from office in 2015, when he was arrested and charged with allegedly mismanaging $2.1 billion meant to purchase weapons to fight Boko Haram. Despite pleading not guilty, the case remains ongoing, with the charges yet to be proven.
Investigations in 2024 uncovered evidence suggesting Dasuki funneled suspicious funds into a $2.8-million mansion in a Washington D.C. suburb. The investigations were done by Premium Times, the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), and the Washington Post.
Further collaboration between PPLAAF, OCCRP, the Houston Chronicle, and Charleston’s Post and Courier has shed light on Dasuki’s South Carolina farm, raising more questions about his financial dealings.
A 2007 letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reveals that officials questioned the legitimacy of the funds used by Sambo Dasuki to purchase the property in the Aiken Horse District of South Carolina.
The letter upheld the rejection of Dasuki’s wife, Farida, application for an immigrant investor visa, which was tied to her husband’s $950,000 cash purchase of the Green Hills horse farm in June 2002. Dasuki had transferred the title of the farm to Farida.
According to Farida, the money for the property came from a petroleum company that paid Dasuki $1 million to lobby Ghanaian officials for a deal to rehabilitate an abandoned offshore oil field. However, she only provided an unsigned consulting contract to support this claim.
US immigration officials were unconvinced by Farida’s explanation, citing a lack of evidence to support her husband’s supposed experience in the oil and gas industry. They specifically questioned the legitimacy of the $1 million consulting fee.
Neither Dasuki nor his wife responded to questions about the source of the funds used to purchase the farm and whether Farida ultimately received a US visa following the rejection of her immigrant investor application in 2007.
Quincy Sintim-Aboagye, CEO of Texas-based Lushann International Energy Corporation, has disputed Farida’s claims about the source of funds used to purchase the South Carolina farm.
According to Farida, Lushann International Energy Corporation hired her husband, Dasuki, for lobbying efforts and paid him $1 million. However, Sintim-Aboagye denied paying Dasuki, stating he didn’t have $1 million.
However, he did not rule out the possibility that someone from the company’s Nigerian subsidiary could have made payments.
The letter revealed that payments for the farm were wired to the seller’s agent from bank accounts belonging to companies in Hong Kong and the U.K.
Farida claimed that Dasuki instructed the oil company to send his lobbying fee to the seller’s agent through the two firms, but U.S. authorities noted she did not provide any evidence to support this.
Additionally, she failed to prove that her husband had paid taxes on the funds.
Although Farida is still listed as the owner of the farm, property taxes have been paid by Alex Pacheco, a polo photographer who splits his time between Florida and Aiken.
Pacheco declined to discuss the farm’s current business operations. Public records show that the expansive estate features holiday accommodations, horse tracks, and stable rentals.
Pacheco explained that he met Dasuki in Washington D.C. in the 1980s, and they became friends. He later introduced Dasuki and his wife to Aiken, where they decided to purchase the farm.
In 2015, shortly after being removed from office by then President Muhammadu Buhari, Dasuki was arrested and charged with misappropriating $2.1 billion meant for purchasing weapons to combat Boko Haram insurgents.
The funds were allegedly diverted to fund political campaigns and personal expenses rather than being used for military equipment.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dasuki authorized large payments to politicians, government officials, and companies with little or no link to defense procurement.
Some of the funds were allegedly routed through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to individuals and organizations for purposes unrelated to national security.
The scandal led to widespread public outrage in Nigeria, as inadequate military equipment was blamed for the military’s struggles against Boko Haram. Several high-profile individuals, including politicians and military officials, were implicated.
Dasuki has consistently denied any wrongdoing, arguing that he followed official procedures for disbursements as directed by Goodluck Jonathan, Buhari’s predecessor.
He was detained for several years despite being granted bail multiple times, leading to accusations of human rights violations.
The case remains unresolved, with ongoing legal battles and investigations.
