A prosecution witness, Mustapha Yerima, PW4, Managing Director, Ryte Builders Nigeria Limited, in the ongoing trial of a former Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.) and Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, has further explained how monies were allegedly diverted from the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, account to construct a shopping mall for Badeh.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday, Yerima, who had previously narrated how he purchased the 3060sqm land on which the shopping mall is built at the sum of N650 million, explained that he made the purchase in the name of his company, only later transferring the documents at the instructions of Air Commodore Yushau, the then Director of Finance and Accounts, Nigerian Air Force, who had previously testified as PW1.
According to him, “They (Yushau and Badeh) did not want to get involved directly, so they asked me to purchase the land for them. Ahmed Maiwada was the lawyer who handled the purchase, acting strictly for me as his client. On May 23, 2013, Maiwada advised me to go ahead and commit valuable consideration in exchange for the original Certificate of Occupancy over the land. He also advised me to execute the Deeds on his behalf.
“The Plot 1386 was originally a residential land. I only got to know, much later, that the land had previously belonged to one Fayose Ayodele when we obtained the Certificate of Occupancy. I cannot remember the name of the company that the land documents were transferred to because Air Commodore Yushau deliberately refused to give us the name.”
Explaining how he had constructed the plaza for Badeh, Yerima added: “I prepared the contract schedule and submitted a bill of N 1.2billion to Yushau for the construction of the plaza, to which he responded that he would discuss with his boss (Badeh) and get back through to me.
“Yushau gave me N408million, at first, and another N300million in dollar equivalent as mobilization costs. He explained that subsequent payments would be made from the Nigerian Air Force. I also received N9million for pre-contract expenses.
“In one of the statements I made at the EFCC on January 6, 2016, I gave a list of the payments which I received from the Nigerian Air Force, which totalled N864million.”
“During this process, I met with Yushau several times. I even met with both Yushau and his boss (Badeh) on one occasion.”
The matter has been adjourned to Thursday, June 16, 2016 for further cross-examination and continuation of trial.
Badeh is standing trial alongside Iyalikam Nigeria Limited for allegedly abusing his office as Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, by using the dollar equivalent of the sum of N1.4billion removed from the accounts of the Nigerian Air Force to purchase properties in choice areas of Abuja between January and December, 2013.
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