How AVM Umar diverted NAF N9.7bn through Bureau de change

The trial of former Chief of Air Staff (CoAS), Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar, before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja resumed on Wednesday with the testimonies of three prosecution witnesses on how huge sums were moved from the bank account of Nigerian Air Force Headquarters camp into Fastma Holding Limited account and Bureau de change operator based in Abuja.

Air Vice Marshall Umar is under prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on seven-count charge bordering on money laundering and procurement fraud to the tune of N9.7 billion.

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PW 10, Remigius Ugwu, a staff of Zenith Bank, told the court that based on the request they received from Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sometime in July 2018, the opening package and statement of account belonging to Fastma Holding Limited was sent to the agency.

Reading from the transactions in the account, Ugwu stated that a sum of N163, 500,000 was credited to Fastma Holding Limited as inflow from Headquarters NAF operation camp account on December 14, 2011.

The other Inflows from Headquarters NAF operation camp into Fastma Holding Limited account, he said, was as follows: December 15, 2011 – N63m; December 22, 2011 – N163.5m while on  March 29, 2012, three separate inflows – N63.3m, N47.8m, and N66m were recorded  from NAF Headquarters operation camp account.

He said Fastma Holding Limited also received from the NAF headquarters operation camp account the following amounts: On May 14, 2012, the sum of  N90m; May 24, 2012 – N 82m; May 24, 2012 – N72m; July 26, 2012 – N78,990,000, N78,230,000, N 85,440,000 and on July 26, 2012 – N163m.

Under cross examination by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the defendant lead counsel, the witness said that the transactions were regular.

He said Fastma Holding Limited has only a signatory to the account.

Ugwu said he did not know whether Fastma Holding Limited was charged or convicted.

“I cannot recall giving evidence against this particular customer,” he told the court.

Another prosecution witness, Ayaogwu Nnamdi, a staff of United Bank for Africa (UBA), said they also recorded the following transactions and Inflows from NAF Headquarters operation camp account to Fastma and PRD Limited: October 11, 2011 – N117m was paid into Fastma  Holding Limited account; the same company also on  November 15, 2011, received N316m; on March 13, 2011 – N96m and  N98m while N99,5000.000 went into PRD Limited account.

He said that on March 15, 2011, N60m and N98.9m were the inflows from NAF headquarters operation account into Fastma Holding Limited account while N99.800, 000.00 was the inflow into PRD.

On March 24, 2012, he said Fastma Holding Limited account received N120m from NAF headquarters operation camp account. On April 11, 2012, four inflows N60.5m, N21.5m, N43m and N83m. On July 4, 2012, N56m and N96.4m were paid into the account of Fastma from NAF headquarters account.

On July 7, 2012, five Inflows – N70m, N50m, N89m, N63.5m and N55m came from NAF headquarters operation camp account to Fastma Holding Limited account, he added.

Mr. Idris Giwa, the PW 12 from GTB tendered Air Vice Marshall Mohammed Dikko Umar personal  opening account packages and two other companies linked to him –  Multiple Bridge Limited and UND Limited probably to show that his total earnings were far below the amount allegedly traced to him.

Though Umar is yet to open his defence, source close to his administration told the Daily Times the money for which he is being prosecuted for “was what Umar used to execute the laudable projects for which he is known in the Nigerian Air Force. They were used to reactivate and maintain aircrafts for which no funds are released from the normal budgets.”

The source added that part of the money was “used for training programmes including pilot training, which reached a height under his watch. Remember that it was in the process that the Nigerian Air Force got the first female combat pilot.”