The ongoing trial of a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.) and others before Justice Muhammed Idris of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos continued today, Monday, May 14, 2018, with a prosecution witness, TosinOwobo, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, #EFCC, explaining how various sums of monies meant for the Nigeria Air Force(NAF) operations were diverted to personal use by the defendants.
Amosu is standing trial alongside two serving senior Air Force officers: Air Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun, a former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting and Air Commodore Gbadebo Owodunni Olugbenga, a former Director of Finance and Budget. .
Also charged with the accused are seven companies namely Delfina Oil and Gas Limited; McAllan Oil and Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited; Trapezites BDC; Fonds and Pricey Limited; Deegee Oil and Gas Limited; Timsegg Investment Limited and Solomon Health Care Limited.
During cross-examination by counsel to the first defendant, Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, Owobo told the court about the inflow of funds from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to the NAF accounts domiciled in Skye Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc on the instructions of Amosu.
Owobo further told the court that his team, in the course of investigation, analyzed the NAF’s accounts in Skye Bank and Zenith Bank and discovered inflows into the accounts, adding that NAF officials were asked questions in respect of the transactions.
The witness said that a transfer of N1, 000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) was made to the NAF’s operations account in Skye Bank by the Ministry of Defence headquarters on January 17, 2013.
When asked if there were other inflows into the Skye Bank account outside the funds from NIMASA, Owobo answered in the affirmative.
Also, when asked if he knew the purpose for which the N1bn was paid into the NAF’s Syke Bank account by the Ministry, the witness said he could not remember.