A prosecution witness in the trial of a former Chief of Defense Staff, CDS, Air Marshal Alex Badeh (retd) has revealed how a lawyer to the former CDS absconded to Dubai with title documents of various property allegedly procured with monies removed from the accounts of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, between January and December 2013.
The witness, Nuhu Dalhatu, made this disclosure on May 3, 2017 while being cross-examined by Lasun Sanusi, SAN, who held brief for Badeh’s counsel, Akin Olujimi, SAN, before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
Badeh is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC alongside Iyalikam Nigeria Limited on a 10-count charge of money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption.
According to Dalhatu, “investigations revealed that Mr Hussaini Umar sold property at the behest of Air Commodore Yushau, on behalf of Badeh, which title documents and power of attorney Umar said he had submitted to Mr Timothy Muje, the company secretary to Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, for endorsement.
“The commission made efforts to invite Barrister Muje, but he failed to turn up. We made attempts to arrest him only to find out that he had absconded through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport for Dubai.”
Dalhatu further revealed that the investigating team executed a search warrant on one of Badeh’s properties at 6, Ogun River Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, and discovered two unaddressed waybills, exhibits T104 and T105.
When asked by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, counsel to EFCC, to shed more light on the ownership of the waybills, Dalhatu said, “the two waybills were discovered in a room filled with furniture and were from a Kaduna-based furniture company, Almuhansay. In our interview with the managing director of Almuhansay, he said that while on one of his business trips,
importing furniture from Dubai, he did not fill up his container and was approached by Mrs. Mary Iyah Badeh, who requested that he convey goods to Abuja for her.
“On arrival of the goods, he (MD, Almuhansay) said that he left the waybills unaddressed due to its sensitivity, and gave it
to his driver for delivery. Mrs. Badeh’s furniture were marked ‘Badeh1-9’.”
After re-examination on new issues raised, the case was adjourned to May 16, 17 and 18 for further hearing.
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