The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sani Zira

  • Court adjourns pension scam trial till July 10

    Court adjourns pension scam trial till July 10

    An FCT High Court on Monday adjourned the trial-within-trial in the N24 billion Police Pension Fund scam till July 10.

    Justice Hussien Baba-Yusuf adjourned the case following an application filed by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Leke Atolegbe.

    Atolegbe had told the court that his third witness was no longer in the service of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The prosecutor asked for more time to produce the witness in court.

    Esar Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Wada, Veronica Onyegbula, Sani Zira, Uzoma Attang, and Christian Madubuke are standing trial for complicity in the over N24 billion scam in the Police Pension Fund.

    Onyegbula claimed that she was forced to make confessional statements to EFCC.

    Her counsel called for trial-within- trial to prove the veracity of the statements she made to EFCC, which the prosecution sought to tender as exhibits before the court.

    At the resumed sitting on Monday, an operative of EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, testified as the second witness.

    Bawa told the court that he was the one that signed the document which Mustapha Gandaniya, who investigated the matter, brought.

    When cross-examined by Hakeem Afolabi (SAN), counsel for the fourth defendant, Bawa said the document speaks for itself and that it was not a mere speculation.

    NAN

  • Police pension scam: EFCC denies inducing defendant

    Police pension scam: EFCC denies inducing defendant

    An operative with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) , Rukayya Ibrahim, told the FCT High Court on Wednesday that she never induced the fourth defendant to make statement.

    She was testifying in the Police Pension scam during cross examination of witnesses.

    The defendants in the case are Esar Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Wada, Veronica Onyegbula, Sani Zira, Uzoma Attang, and Christian Madubuke, who are alleged to have been involved in the scam.

    They are standing trial for complicity in the over N24 billion scam in the police pension fund.

    The fourth defendant, Mrs Veronica Onyegbula through her lawyer, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), told the court that she was forced to make confessional statements to EFCC.

    Fagbemi , called for the trial within trial to prove the veracity of the statements she made to EFCC, which the prosecution sought to tender as exhibits before the court.  Fagbemi claimed the statements were  not made voluntarily.

    The EFCC operative during cross- examination by Onyegbula’s counsel told the court that she never promised the defendant anything if she should implicate her bosses.

    She told the court that the commission had enough evidence on her and that they don’t need to induce her, adding that she worked with all the directors in her office that was why she is the prime suspect.

    “Her bail condition has nothing to do with her level; it has everything to do with her involvement in the scam,” she said.

    She added that the anti-graft agency never lower the fourth defendant’s bail condition after she agreed to implicate her bosses in the scam, informing that bail condition had nothing to do with making statement or not.

    The witness told the court that she took most of the statements made by the fourth defendant as the front investigating officer involved in investigating her involvement in the scam.

    Justice  Hussain Baba-Yusuf  however, adjourned the case until  May 26 for continuation of cross examination.

  • Absence of defendant stalls pension scam trial

    The absence of a defendant, Ahmed Wada, stalled the hearing of the alleged Police Pension Fund (PFF) scam at an FCT High Court on Friday.

    Esar Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Wada, Veronica Onyegbula, Sani Zira, Uzoma Attang and Christian Madubuke, are standing trial for complicity in the over N24 billion scam in the police pension fund, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    At the last sitting, Mr. Ernest Ikeji, counsel to Onyegbula, informed the court that his client was sick and the trial-within-trial was adjourned at his instance.

    The judge, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, on November 29 last year also adjourned till November 30 after arguments from the counsel on the veracity of Onyegbula’s statements to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    At the previous sitting, prosecution witness, Mustapha Gadnaya, an official of the EFCC, continued with his testimony on the matter.

    The prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), sought to tender the documents by the witness.

    However, Ikeji, the counsel to Onyegbula, said his client did not make those statements voluntarily and cited Sections 29 (2) (b) of the Evidence Act, 2011.

    “EFCC refused to release her on bail, saying that her bosses had been released and if she refused to make statements she would remain there,” the counsel said.

    He urged the court to conduct trial -within- trial to obtain the truth on the documents.

    At the resumed hearing on Friday, Counsel to Wada, Mr. Yakubu Dangana, told the court that his client was absent.

    Dagana said his client’s absence was due to two surgeries he had on his spinal cord.

     

     

  • Pension: Six officials’ trial adjourned to September 24

    The trial of six persons indicted in the police pension scam was on Thursday adjourned to September 24.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed a 20-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and conspiracy against a suspended permanent secretary, Atiku Kigo; Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Wada, Sani Zira, John Yusuf and Veronica Onyegbula.

    The adjournment was due to the absence of the presiding judge, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf.

    Baba-Yusuf, who was said to be indisposed, gave his consent for an adjournment.

    The new date was agreed on by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and the defence lead counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN).

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that at the last sitting of the court on February 27, Baba-Yusuf had agreed to the tendering of a document by the prosecution counsel.

    The judge said the document which contains analysis of cheques withdrawals and a copy of certificate from the EFCC, substantially complied with section 84 of the Evidence Act.

    “I think the arguments were heightened because learned counsel to the defence maintained that the documents sought to tender did not comply strictly with section 85 sub (2 and 4) of the evidence act, and that the documents were hear-say,” he said.

    The judge admitted the documents in evidence and marked it as exhibits P6A and P6B.