By Jerry Uwah Lagos
Th e trial of Justice Rita Ofi liAjumokobia resumed at the Ikeja High Court yesterday with a former Deputy Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service, Mr. Musa Tahir, denying knowledge of reasons the NCS paid N12 million into the account of the judge. Tahir who was being crossexamined by Mr. Olawale Akoni said he has never met the embattled judge one on one. “I don’t know why the former Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, said the money should be paid into my colleague Musa Omale’s account to be forwarded into the company account of the judge.
“I don’t have the paper in which the CGC wrote the directive; the paper was handed over to Omale who worked in my offi ce. “I don’t know the source of the money, the CGC who gave the directive is still alive,” he said Tahir, while giving his evidencein-chief on May 26 had told the court that the NCS had paid N12m sourced from 12 Area Commands into the bank account of the judge. In his May 26 testimony, Tahir had said: “Sometime in 2014, when I was a Deputy Comptroller General, I was working at the NCS headquarters Wuse, Abuja. I was in the offi ce of the CGC, Mr Abdullahi Dikko, my immediate boss. “Dikko handed a paper and the name and bank account details of a company called Nigel and Colive was written on it.
“I was told to hand over the piece of paper to one Musa Omale, who worked in my offi ce and I watold by Dikko to liaise with Area Comptrollers of 12 commands who will send some money to Omale who will in turn transfer the money into the account. “Th e 12 commands are Tin Can Island, Lilibong Area, Kirikiri Larger Terminal, Abraka, Seme Area Command, Murtala Area Command, Area Command Field Operations Zone A and Area Command Field Operations Zone B.
“Kaduna Area Command, Katsina Area Command, Federal Operations, Zone C Area Command, Onne Area Command in Port Harcourt and Ogun Area Command.” After Tahir completed his testimony, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, the EFCC counsel, told the court that the prosecution had fi led late, an additional list of witnesses and had just served the defence that morning. Th e EFCC prosecutor said the proof of evidence of their next witness – one Dr Olumuyiwa Solanke was served late on the defence by their team due to a regrettable omission. Justice Hakeem Oshodi adjourned the case until September 29, for continuation of trial.
Ofi li-Ajumogobia, is standing trial alongside Mr Godwin Obla, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former prosecutor of the EFCC. Th e two have been jointly charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice. Obla is facing an additional two counts of off ering gratifi cation in the sum of N5m to Ofi li-Ajumogobia, a public offi cial while serving as a judge. Ofi li-Ajumogobia faces a 26-count charge bordering on unlawful enrichment, taking property by a public offi cer, corruption, forgery and giving false information to an offi cial of the EFCC. Both denied all the charges. Nine witnesses including bankers and customs offi cers have so far testifi ed for the EFCC at ongoing proceedings.
