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N2.3bn Scam: Witness paid N70m to purchase property for NIMASA Chief

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday presented its eleventh witness in the on-going trial of a former Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi and five others.
Akpobolokemi is standing trial, alongside five others, before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, in a N2.3billion scam preferred against him by the EFCC. His co-accused persons are: Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba; Ekene Nwakuche; Governor Amechee Juan; Vincent Udoye, Captain Ade Sahib Olopoenia and Gama Marine Nigeria Ltd.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday, Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo presented his eleventh witness to the court. The witness: Eboigbe Eti-Osa, an Estate Surveyor told the court that he bought a property for the second accused person: Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba worth N70,000,000 (Seventy Million Naira Only) in the Lekki area of Lagos. Oyedepo thereafter confronted the witness with the account opening package of his firm: Ebougbe Eti-Osa and Associates for identification, in order to tender it as an exhibit before the court.
Counsel to the second accused person, E.D Onyeke objected to the admissibility of the document on the ground that the document was not part of the proof of evidence and that he was seeing it for the first time. He prayed the court to give him time to study the file. His prayer was turned down by Justice Buba and the document was eventually admitted as exhibit P42.

The witness confirmed from an earlier exhibit P3 when he was confronted with it by the prosecution counsel, that on 15 and 20 January, 2014, his company received the total sum of N70,000,000 (Seventy Million Naira Only) from Ace Prothesis Limited and Acer Integrated Limited respectively, as a payment for the property he bought for Captain Agaba. Both Ace Prothesis and Acer Integrated are part of the companies that allegedly benefitted from the disbursement of over Two Billion Naira ISPS code money. Oyedepo asked the witness if he executed any contract to warrant such payments and the witness answered in the negative. He disclosed that the money for the property was paid into his company’s account after he concluded negotiations with Agaba.
Justice Buba adjourned the case to 23 March 2016 for continuation of trial.

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