N9.7b withdrawn from police pension account without vouchers

Thursday, February 11, 2016 9:04 am

EFCC operatives

Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja will continue hearing today more lurid details of how the Nigerian Police Pension fund was looted.

Giving testimony on Wednesday, a witness told the court of how N9.7 billion was withdrawn from the fund without vouchers.

Seven persons are facing trial for complicity in the over N24 billion scam in the police pension office

Prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, led the fourth prosecution witness, Mustapha Gadanya, in giving the shocking evidence yesterday.

Gadanya a former staff of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, recalled the evidence he gave in court in December 2014, where he revealed that the Police Pension Office could not provide vouchers to authenticate payments amounting to N9.7billion made to Veronica Onyegbula , the 4^th accused person in the case, between 2007 and 2008.

On the first defendant Esai Dangaba, Gadanya told the court that a search warrant executed on his company, AMT Global Concept at Jabi Abuja yielded several incriminating evidence. The value of some of the recovered documents and financial instrument ran into billions of naira.. These include; copies of cheques drawn from the account of Esai Dangaba, a draft of FCMB issued to AMSAR Int’l, Fixed deposit slips of N198million for AMD Global Concept, Company papers of Damule Nigeria Limited, future Logistics Technology, Marine Logistics and Leisure Integrated Limited, document of one billion naira worth investment from Skye Bank among others. These were tendered by prosecution and admitted in evidence by the Judge as Exhibits P11, P11A to P11J. Exhibit P11E-J, P11F, P11G, P11H, P11I, and P11J.

The witness further testified that a letter was written to FCMB to furnish the team with bank statements and instruments used in crediting and debiting the account and other relevant documents of Damule Nigeria limited. From the bank’s response it was discovered that the directors of the company were no other than the wife and two sons of Esai Dangaba, the first accused, using the names Milly Lamura, Yila Lamura(deceased) and Mela Lamura.

“ While reviewing the Drivers License and account mandate card, we discovered the picture of “Mela Lamura” turned out to be Mela Esai Dangaba, Yila Lamura is actually his late son and Milly Lamura is the first accused wife.”, Gadanya said.

The witness disclosed that the Federal Road Safety Commission, in response to a request by the EFCC, replied that the drivers’ license used in opening the accounts were not issued by it.

The license were tendered and admitted in evidence.

The witness also revealed that analysis of Damule account showed a turnover of seven billion, six hundred and ninety one million seven hundred and twenty eight thousand, six hundred and forty one naira thirteen kobo(N7,691,728,641.13k), between March 18, 2009 to February 24, 2010 with most of the inflow occurring when Dangabar was director of the police pension office.

He disclosed that the account recorded cash deposit of N233 million on April3,2009 in 40 different tranches between N2 to N2.5million. “we discovered that between April 1, 2009 to 18 February, 2010 over N971m was fixed into deposit account by the defendant in FCMB…, over N983million was transferred to another account of same Damule in Skye bank, ” Gadanya said.

The accused persons Esai Dangabar, Atiku Abubakar Kigo, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira, Uzoma Cyril Attang and Christian Madubuke were all present in court.