Air Marshall Adesola Amosu

By Akin Kuponiyi

An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Mr. Tosin Owobo, on Thursday, gave graphic details of how the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Adesola Amosu Nunayon, and two other Air force Chiefs, converted the sum of N1.480 billion to their personal used.

Awobo, an Assistant Detective Superintendent with the EFCC, made the revelation while being led in evidence by the Commission’s prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, in the Criminal trial of the three Airforce Chiefs and their eight proxy companies.

Amosu alongside Air Vice Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun, Air Commodore Gbadebo Owodunni Olugbenga and eight companies, are being tried by the court over alleged N22.8 billion fraud.

The companies facing trial alongside the three Airforce Chiefs are: Delfina Oil and Gas Ltd, Mcallan Oil And Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited, Trapezites BDC, Fonds and Pricey Ltd, Deegee Oil and Gas Limited, Timsegg Investment Limited and Solomon Health Care.

At the resumed trial of the accused Airforce Chiefs,Owobo told the court that in 2015, his Commission received an intelligence reports as to large scale misappropriation of funds in Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), from a special task force saddled with the responsibility of Investigating political exposed people and government agencies.

The prosecution witness stated that upon receiving the report, it was discovered during investigation that there was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NIMASA and Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and that the first set of the MOUs was signed by a former Chief of Air Staff, Mr. Alex Badeh.

He also stated that upon receiving the MOU, his team requested for the payment vouchers between NIMASA and NAF, where they discovered that the total sum of N1.840 billion in two tranches of N740 million, were paid to some Bureau De Change operators, who later changed the money to United State Dollars of $600 million. Subsequently the money was paid into the account number 1750013097 domiciled in Skye Bank, belonging to Air Vice Marshall Gbadebo.

The Bureau De Change operators allegedly used for the said transaction were: Farsman Holding Limited, Bogori BDC, and Abubakar Shittu, Hasubinalahi, who are also BDC operators.

The witness further told the court that when his Commission analysed the accounts for the transaction, and called for the account number, account opening packages, the BDC operators were identified and invited.

However, lawyers to the accused persons led by Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, Mr. Kemi Balogun, Norrison Quakers, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), and Chief Wale Taiwo, objected to the witness giving evidence in relation to the statements of the Bureau De Change operators.

They argued that the statements of the BDC operators has not been tendered before the court, adding that the witness is not in position to give evidence on statements he did not authored.

However, the prosecutor, Mr.Rotimi Oyedepo, while urging the court to allow the witness to continue his evidence, the situation forced the court to adjourn the matter till January 25 and 26, to rule on if either the witness can give evidence on the BDC operators’ statements and continuation of trial.

The accused persons were first arraigned before the court on June 29, on a 23 counts charge bordering on Fraud, money laundering, and stealing.

The offences alleged to have been committed by the accused Airforce Chiefs are contrary to sections 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.