Nwaoboshi trial begins as firm urges Buhari to probe Delta killings

The trial of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP, Delta North) commenced on Wednesday at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, just as a law firm has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, asking him to order probe over alleged involvement of the senator in Delta Killings in 2013.

The prosecuting Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday presented two of its witnesses who gave testimonies in the two-count charge of conspiracy and money laundering brought by the commission.

Prince Kpokpogiri, the Prosecution’s Witness (PW1), said he wrote a petition to the EFCC after he received an anonymous call and some documents at his office in Asaba, Delta State.

He stated that he was subsequently invited by the EFCC to Abuja to come and adopt the petition.

The witness said he runs a non governmental organisation, Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum, as well as a real estate firm, P.K Aro Multiservices Nigeria Limited.

During cross examination, the witness said his petition did not contain a list of the firm’s Board of Directors because it was not mandatory.

He also said it was not his duty to investigate the contents of his petition before forwarding to the EFCC.

“I only investigated by going through the documents. I did not contact the defendants because it is the work of the EFCC.”

The defence lawyer, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN), accused the witness of being an agent of the EFCC.

“I also put it to you that apart from the fact that you did not investigate the documents, you did not also take any step to verify the facts stated in the petition,” Idigbe said.

Another Prosecution Witness (PW2), Murtala Abubakar, in his evidence in chief, stated that Suiming Electricals Limited, the third defendant, applied for a loan at the Nigerian Export Import Bank in December 2013, and it was approved in April 2014.

Abubakar, the head of Enterprise Risk Management unit at the bank, said Nwaoboshi was a former board member of the bank.

He also said that while the meeting to take a decision on the loan request was being held, Nwaoboshi indicated his interest in the transaction and was recused from the deliberation.

The Senator is a Director at Bildeberg, a holding company which has the majority shareholding in Suiming Electricals Nigeria Limited.

Abubakar said the EFCC made five requests to the bank on Suiming Electricals, starting from June 2017, in respect of the loan transaction granted to the company.

He further stated that the company met all the bank’s conditions before the loan was disbursed.

The witness said although the third defendant had repaid over ₦1 billion of the loan, it is still a non-performing one as “the loan facility is for five years”.

“There is a difference between paying and performing. When we give a loan, we give you a payment plan. When you are supposed to be paying ₦1 million quarterly but you are paying ₦200,000, you are paying but you are not performing.”

However, the EFCC on Wednesday requested for an adjournment to enable it assemble its remaining four witnesses.

Senator Nwaoboshi is standing trial alongside two firms – Golden Touch Construction Project Limited and Suiming Electricals Limited.

Count one of the charge accused the senator and Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd of fraudulently acquiring a property known as Guinea House situated at Marine Road, Apapa in Lagos, between May and June 2014, at a cost N805 million.

The charge stated that the defendants ought to have known that N322 million out of the purchase price formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

Count two of the charge accused Suiming Electricals of aiding Nwaoboshi and Golden Touch Construction Projects Ltd to commit money laundering.

Justice Idris later fixed July 2 for continuation of trial.

Meanwhile, a law firm, E. E. Legal Consult has petitioned President Buhari, calling for a probe of one Uba Nonso’s confessional statement that allegedly implicated Nwaoboshi in a series of killings in Ibusa, Delta State in 2013.

The firm, acting as solicitor to the family of Nonso, said in the petition signed by Ezezobor Emmanuel Izibili and Dickson Anieh, that all persons mentioned in Nonso’s confessional statement should be investigated.

The petitioners said that Nonso, sometime in 2013, was arrested by the police in Delta State and charged for armed robbery and murder.

Part of the petition read thus: “That the said Uba Nonso, made a confessional statement admitting robbery, and murder of one Zikara Saswad, and four others.

That in the said confessional statement, Uba Nonso specifically mentioned some names and persons who had provided them with guns and actually contracted them to kill in Delta State.

“That despite Uba Nonso’s confessional statement which was also corroborated by his co- convicts, implicating these persons, that these persons were never invited for questioning, let alone charged and prosecuted for their involvement in the confessed crimes.

“It is shocking that those implicated by Uba Nonso in his confessional statement move as free men in the society today, rather than being behind the bar.

“No man is above the law, goes the saying; it is, therefore, our passionate appeal to your Excellency, as the fountain of justice, to use your good office to cause immediate investigation into the confessional statement of Uba Nonso, with a view to bringing the persons whose names were mentioned to Justice.

“Furthermore, it is also our humble appeal that the said Uba Nonso be transferred from Ogwashiuku prison to any other prison in the country as he had expressed fear about his safety, arising from the names and persons he mentioned in his confessional statement.

“Your Excellency, Sir, the summary and aggregate of our complaint is contained in the Uba Nonso confessional statement (see page 9-12) which is attached to this petition for your kind perusal and possible action,” they stated.

The said pages of the confessional statement, alleged that Nonso and his co-convicts were contracted by Nwaoboshi, the then chairman of PDP Delta State to kill with guns given to them through one Emeka said to be his driver.