N2.3b scam: EFCC presents three new witnesses against Akpobolokemi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday presented three new witnesses against a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi.
Akpobolokemi alongside five others are standing trial before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos in a N2.3 billion money laundering charge preferred against them by the EFCC.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, led three witnesses Yahaya Mohammed Yusuf and Wakili Dauda, both bureau de change operators, and Olamide Ogunsanya, an Assistant Director with NIMASA, in evidence.
Yusuf, who is the 7th prosecution witness, told the court how he received N230.926 million from Extreme Vertex Nigeria Limited through an account: Kofar Fada Nigeria Limited, owned by his brother.
Extreme Vertex Nigeria Limited is one of the companies alleged to have benefited from the disbursement of over N2 billion from the Committee on International Shipping and Port Security in NIMASA.
Yusuf said the second accused person, Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba, was his long time customer.
According to him, on November 7, 2014, Kofar Fada Nigeria Limited received N145.350 million in three tranches from Extreme Vertex Nigeria Limited.
On November 14, 2014, another N85.576 million was also paid in by the same company into Kofar Fada Nigeria Limited’s bank account.
Yusuf said after the money was credited into the account, he took the dollar equivalent of the entire sum to the second accused person’s office in NIMASA and handed it to him.
When pressed to disclose his dealings with the other accused persons, he denied knowing any of the accused persons apart from the second accused person whom he had dealings with.
Wakili Dauda, the 8th prosecution witness, and one Dahiru Garba are the sole owners of Kofar Fada Nigeria Limited.
In his testimony, Dauda confirmed the testimony of Yusuf but added that he is one of the signatories to the account of Kofar Fada Nigeria Limited.
He confirmed all the transactions of November 7 and 14, 2014 as disclosed by Yusuf.
He told the court that he never had physical contact with any of the accused persons. Olamide Ogunsanya, the 9th prosecution witness, told the court that her department is in charge of revenue collection, processing and payment of contracts and that all payments in the agency were approved by Akpobolokemi.
Ogunsanya pointed out that no payment could be made in NIMASA without the approval of the former Director-General.
Ogunsanya identified the second accused person, Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba, as the  Chairman of the Committee on International Shipping and Port Security and that he was reporting directly to Akpobolokemi.
She also confirmed that the approval for constituting the Committee was obtained from the Presidency through the office of the National Security Adviser.
According to her, it was Akpobolokemi that obtained the approval.
The instruction for payments through the Committee, Ogunsanya explained, normally emanates from Akpobolokemi to Agaba, who will then issue a memo to the Director of Financial Services to make payments to any beneficiary stated in the memo.
The witness told the court that on four occasions between June 2013 and August 2014,  the ISPS account received monies in the sum of N2.06 billion, N795.2 million and N447 million.
She identified the account opening packages of the Committee domiciled at Access Bank and Zenith Bank.
The documents were then admitted into evidence as exhibit P18 and P19.
According to the witness, all approvals for the release of the above sums were obtained from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation by Akpobolokemi.  Ogunsanya was shown the approval for the release of the sum of N1,123,400,000, which she identified, and same was admitted as exhibit P20.
Justice Buba adjourned the matter to March 1, 2016 for continuation of trial.