Ex-Gov Ohakim gave me $2.2m cash for property, witness tells court

A prosecution witness, Abu Sule, has told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that a former governor of Imo state, Ikedi Ohakim, gave him $2.2 million cash, which he used to purchase a property located at No. 60, Kwame Nkrumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja.
Ohakim is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N270 million.
He was initially arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja on July 8, 2015. However, with the compulsory retirement of Justice Ademola by the National Judicial Council, the case started afresh before Justice Babatunde Quadri.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Festus Ukpe, Sule, an Architect and Managing Director, Tweenex Consociate HD Ltd, who is testifying as the first prosecution witness, on June 25, told the court that Ohakim after much pressure was able to convince him to buy the property in his own name after giving him the sum of $2.2 million in cash.
He said: “The defendant, in 2012, requested me to find a house for him to buy and I eventually got one at No. 60, Kwame Nkrumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja.
“He trusted my judgement on the house for purchase and the property was valued at $2.2 million which was about N270 million as at that time.
“He brought the money in dollars. He said that I should go and pay for the house.
“The following day, I called the owner of the house, one Alhaji Isah Maidabino, and we met at Bank of the North, Maitama.
“Maidabino collected the money and he gave me the original title documents.
“I informed Ohakim and he told us the name we should use in the Deed of Assignment and sales agreement.”
The witness added that the defendant asked him to rent out the said property to him and issued him three cheques totalling N20 million, further instructing him to renovate the property, adding that an offer letter was consequently issued to him with a rent agreement to seal the transaction.
At the resumed sitting yesterday, under cross examination by counsel to the defence, Awa Kalu, Sule reaffirmed his relationship with Ohakim, even though he told the court that the defendant has no relationship with the former owner of the property (Isa Maidabino) who purportedly sold the property in question to him.
He was also confronted with a copy of the receipt for the purchase of the property which had been marked as “Exhibit B”, with a face value of N270 million and was asked if the amount was in United States dollar, as to his earlier claim that $2.2million cash was given to him by the defendant for the purchase of the said property.
“No,” he answered, and admitted that he did not know the source of the money.
The case has been adjourned to October 30 and 31, 2018 for continuation of trial.