More facts have continued to emerge as three more witnesses gave their accounts at the ongoing trial of Justice Adeniyi Ademola; his wife, Olabowale; and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joe Agi.
The three are standing trial over allegations of receiving gratification and possession of firearms.
The seventh prosecution witness, Hajiya Fatimah Shuaibu, wife of a former Director, Pension Department of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Shuaibu S. Teidi, on Wednesday gave evidence before the Federal Capital Territory High Court of how Justice Ademola allegedly demanded N25 million bribe from her husband when he was presiding over his trial on alleged embezzlement of pension fund.
In her evidence-in-chief, Fatima told Justice Jude Okeke that she received several calls and text messages from unkwown persons, demanding N25 million bribe from her.
According to her, one of the persons later identified himself as Kingsley O, who she saw once at Wuse Market and he asked her to bring that “stuff as tomorrow is the court”.
She further told the court that she linked the calls and messages to Justice Ademola because Kingsley was always notifying her of court days and what was happening in court.
She said: “He calls to tell me what will happen in court the next day.
“I thereby concluded that he might be relating with the Judge.
“Or, how would he know what is happening in court?”
Fatima also told the court that Kingsley had once stated that if she fails to comply, “when my husband gets to the court the next day, rain will fall on his file and the Judge will not be sitting.
“That was when I concluded that he was speaking for the Judge.”
Upon questioning, she stated that her husband was in detention for seven months before she wrote a petition to National Judicial Council.
According to Fatima, she was compelled to petition the NJC as Justice Ademola refused to vary the N1 billion bail condition given to the husband.
She said: “I wrote the first one when he did not grant my husband bail and I wrote a follow up when he refused to approve for variation of bail conditions.”
At this point, the prosecution counsel, Segun Jegede, presented the copy of the petition dated March 4, 2014 before the court as exhibit E.
Still on the alleged stringent bail condition given to her husband by Justice Ademola, the witness said the Court of Appeal in its judgment on the said “stringent bail condition” had frowned at the bail condition and held that the Judge was biased.
“They consequently gave a bail condition of N100 million and one surety,” she said.
On the outcome of NJC panel set up to investigate her petition, Fatima told the court that she never saw the report until recently.
During cross-examination, however, the witness was taken up on her earlier statement about the Court of Appeal’s judgment, where Justice Ademola was described as biased in his dealings with Teidi’s bail.
The witness was at this time given a copy of the Appeal Court’s judgement to highlight where Justice Ademola was said to be biased.
Having searched the document without success, she admitted that the language was her own interpretation of the judgment since the N1 billion bail condition was considered outrageous to her.
But the court prevailed on her to answer directly.
She then said the word biased was not used in the judgment and that it was a slip of her tongue.
On the issue of alleged forfeiture of properties, the witness told the court that her husband’s properties were forfeited.
At this point, Fatima was asked if she was ever aware that the bailiff, who went to verify her husband’s properties, has been charged for forgery.
The witness declined knowledge.
But the defence counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, reminded her that it was recorded in her presence that the person who went to verify the properties for her husband’s bail had forged the Federal Government’s documents and is currently facing trial for forgery.
Ikpeazu said: “I put it to you that you have lied to this court when you said that you were not aware.
“I was shocked at that.
“I never knew anything about it.
“I was busy feeding my husband and looking for surety.”
On her petition to NJC, Fatima was asked if she ever wrote to NJC, asking for the report or outcome of panel since she claimed not to be aware of the outcome of the investigation into her petition.
She said she did not.
In another development, the defence also told her that those demanding N25 million bribe from her husband went to meet her husband in detention.
Fatima equally denied knowledge of it, but she was confronted with her earlier statement in the office of the Department of State Servicess, where she stated that “those demanding bribe from my husband visited him in prison as visitors and well-wishers”.
On her earlier claim that unknown persons followed her about over the alleged bribe, the witness was asked if she ever reported the incident to the Police or the DSS, she said: “No.”
Ikpeazu added: “Even the alleged threat in the market was also not reported to the Police.
“Rather, you ran to your house for safety?”
She responded: “That was why I ran to NJC.”
On the outcome of the investigation on her petition, the witness was presented with the conclusion of the panel’s findings, marked, Exhibit G.
Before the court, Fatima read out the concluding aspect in part: “The complaints were unmeritorious and nothing has emerged from the Judge as having compromised his office. The complaints are hereby dismissed.”
She however declined to admit the fact that NJC dismissed the petition.
Responding to other questions from the defence team, Fatima also told the court that she could not produce the call logs or the alleged text messages to back her claim as the phone was misplaced.
Afterwards, two officers from two different commercial banks were called in to give evidence of money transferred from the account of Joe Agi and Associates.
According to the witnesses, the sum of N30 million was transferred from Agi’s account to that of Olabowale Adeniyi.
Both however admitted that they were not privy to what the money was meant for.
They also confirmed that within the time under investigation, no money was transferred to the account of Justice Ademola.
The matter has been adjourned till February 8, 9 and 10 for continuation of trial.
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