By Chizoba Ogbeche
Abuja
A former Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Bamaiyi, has told a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, that Fred Ajudua, who is standing trial for duping the former army boss of $8.4Million, used a Lagos court registrar, Ms. Rosulu Idowu Oluronke, to obtain the sum of $330,000 from him.
The money, according to Bamaiyi was part payment of professional fees, supposedly, charged by Chief Afe Babalola to handle his trial for attempted murder of the late publisher of the Guardian Newspaper, Alex Ibru and two others.
EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in a press statement, yesterday in Abuja, said Bamaiyi led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Seidu Atteh, told the court, presided over by Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, that he met Ajudua and Alumile Adedeji, a.k.a. Ade Bendel, at Kirikiri maximum prison, where he was remanded.
Uwujaren said that the former Chief of Army Staff told the court that Oluronke, who was then Justice Joseph Oyewole’s registrar, visited him three times at Kirikiri maximum prison in respect of the payment for Chief Babalola’s professional fees.
“I and Ajudua were together in my cell, so we became friends. Ajudua told me that he is a lawyer and had studied my case, and found out it was purely political. Ajudua told me that he was interested in the case and had sent his wife to see the Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Ade Alabi (retd) and the then state Attorney General, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, over the matter. I was told that the Chief Judge was the one in contact with Chief Babalola.”
According to the retired army general, Ajudua later told him that based on the advice of the Chief Judge and the Attorney General, there was need for the case to be handled by Chief Babalola, who would facilitate his release from prison custody.
He said: “I was told that Afe Babalola charged $18million as professional fee and that the money was to be paid through Justice Oyewole. Ajudua told me that Justice Oyewole was going to send his registrar (Oluronke)).
“Before Oluronke’s third visit on November 20, 2004, a friend of mine had arranged $330,000 for me. The money was brought in a ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bag to the prison. I showed Ajudua the money and he said he will assign one Jonathan to assist us in counting the money.”
