The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday at a Federal High Court in Abuja tailored its case to the allegation that the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic
Party Chief Olisa Metuh, used the N400m he allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014, to fund the party’s presidential campaign for the 2015 general elections.
The anti-graft agency on Thursday called as its fifth prosecution witness – the Managing Director of CMC Connect, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya – whose firm was engaged for media publicity and “image management” job for the PDP and its then presidential candidate in the 2015 general elections, former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Badejo-Okusanya told the presiding judge, Justice Okon Abang, that he was paid a total of N77.5m through Metuh’s firm, Destra Investments Limited in December 2014 and that he started executing the job towards the end of the month.He said the payment, which he got from Metuh’s firm, followed a meeting which he attended with former President Jonathan, the then Vice President, Namadi Sambo, the former Senate President, David Mark, and a number of other top government functionaries of the then PDP-led government, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The witness said, “Our first part of the work which we did was to get Nigerians to appreciate the roles of the military in the fight against Boko Haram, in general, insurgency.”
Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the witness confirmed that he was given the job due to his proficiency in “image positioning management” and his relationship with the PDP.
When asked to confirm that “when the first defendant (Metuh) called you telling you that the President was impressed, the first defendant acting for the President,” Okusanya Badejo responded by saying, “That was what he told me”.
He also gave a response to a question that there was nothing unusual about the job he did for the party.
Bundles of the documents containing the evidence of publication of the various materials in the newspapers, and certificates of broadcast in the electronic media, invoices and cheque vouchers relating to the media jobs done, were admitted as exhibits.
Also on Thursday, a bureau de change operator, Kabiru Ibrahim, who testified as the sixth prosecution witness, narrated how he was engaged by an employee of a financial service firm, Arms and Resource Management Limited, Nneka Ararume, to change the sum of $1m, which the prosecution alleged was provided in cash by Metuh, to naira.
The EFCC had on January 15 arraigned Metuh and his Destra Investments Limited on seven counts of fraudulent receipt of N400m from the NSA office in November 2014 and money laundering involving separate sum of $2m cash transaction.
In the counts one and two, the EFCC alleged that Metuh and Destra Investments Limited “took possession” of the sum of N400m from the account of the Office of the NSA with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award.
The prosecution also alleged in count four that between November 2014 and March 2015, Metuh and the firm used the said N400m for the campaign activities of the PDP and other purposes while “having reason to know that the money directly represented proceeds of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd).”
It alleged that the N400m was “part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity” of the immediate past NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
Justice Abang has adjourned further trial till February 4.
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