The family of Sambo Dasuki, Nigeria’s former National Security Adviser, has been denied a U.S. visa due to ties to property purchased with questionable funds.
Also denied was his wife, Farida Dasuki.
A new investigation by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa, PPLAAF, revealed that Dasuki acquired a 127-acre horse farm in South Carolina in 2002, using funds of dubious origin. At the time, he was in charge of Nigeria’s Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), responsible for printing the country’s currency.
The investigation, conducted in partnership with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Initiative (OCCRP), The Post and Courier, and The Houston Chronicle, also uncovered attempts by Dasuki’s family to obtain a U.S. investor visa, using the farm as evidence of investment.
Dasuki was indicted in 2015 for embezzling billions of dollars meant for the fight against Boko Haram. The PPLAAF report links around $27 million of these misappropriated funds to luxury real estate purchases in the U.S., including the South Carolina farm.
In her visa application, Dasuki’s wife, Farida, claimed the funds used for the farm purchase came from a $1 million lobbying contract her husband had secured while heading NSPMC.
She stated that Sambo Dasuki lobbied Ghanaian officials on behalf of a Texas-based oil company. However, U.S. authorities rejected the visa application, citing concerns about the funds’ origin. There are no indications that further action has been taken regarding the property.
The farm, now owned by Dasuki’s wife, features an equestrian center and is used as an Airbnb rental and wedding venue. This new information follows a previous PPLAAF investigation in collaboration with The Washington Post and Premium Times, which exposed Dasuki’s involvement in money laundering through luxury properties in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Despite calls from Nigerian officials for the U.S. to trace the funds, Dasuki’s associates still own several of these properties, including the South Carolina farm.
Jimmy Kande, PPLAAF’s Western Africa director, highlighted the broader implications of financial crimes, stressing the connection between corruption and insecurity. He noted that terrorist groups in the Sahel have thrived partly due to the diversion of funds meant for national security.
