I Was Not Paid To Defend Abdulrasheed Maina, Witness Tells Court

Ngozika Ihuoma, a defence witness, on Tuesday, said he was not
paid to defend Abdulrasheed Maina, Chairman, defunct Pension
Reformed Task Team (PRTT), in the ongoing money laundering charge
against him. Ihuoma told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High
Court, Abuja, during the continuation of his cross examination by
the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s lawyer,
Mohammed Abubakar.

“I was not paid money to come and testify in court,” he
responded when Abubakar asked him if he was paid to testify in
court. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the witness
had, on March 4 while giving his evidence, accused the EFCC of
mismanaging about 222 assets valued at N1.63 trillion and cash
recovered by the PRTT.

Ihuoma, who alleged that Maina was being persecuted by the
ongoing trial, said the pension reformed boss deserved to be
reinstated back into service to clean up the pension mess facing
the workers. NAN also reports that the witness told the court that
he was a management consultant, whose firm, Crincad & Cari Nigeria
Ltd was contracted by the PRTT for consultancy service.At the
resumed hearing, the witness admitted defending Maina, even on a
national television.

“Is it rue that on 6th of Nov, 2017, you appeared on AIT in a
programme tagged: ‘Focus Nigeria.’“You stated that if he was
invited by Senate or EFCC, you will accompany him,” Abubakar
asked.“Yes,” Ihuoma replied.When the lawyer then asked him if it
was true that when Maina was arrested in 2019, he did not go to
volunteer a statement at the agency’s office, the witness said: “I
was never invited by EFCC.

”When Abubakar asked him if he came to testify before the court
as a witness based on subpoena issued by court, he gave a negative
response.Again, Abubakar asked him: “Is it true that you engaged in
image laundering for the 1st defendant (Maina) when he was engaging
in money laundering.”“No, I don’t know him being involved in money
laundering so I would not have been laundering his image as a
person.“I have always defended him as chairman, PRTT.

I am not a member of his personal staff neither a blood relation
but we have always met in the course of PRTT.“I am from Imo and he
is from Biu in Borno,” he responded.Earlier, the witness also
denied that he lied on oath when the EFCC lawyer asked him if it
was correct to say that he lied before the court that the judgment
of Justice Adamu Bello quashed the Senate Committee Report that
investigated the PRTT under Maina. When Abubakar said that the
exhibit tendered to prove Justice Bello’s decision was not the
complete judgment, the witness said though the judgment document
had pages 1 to 23, he said of relevant to the ongoing trial were
pages 21 to 23.“I never lied on oath.

This judgment quashed the Senate report. I spoke the truth,” he
insisted. He told the court that he was the sole signatory to the
Crincad & Cari Nigeria Ltd’s account domiciled at the Union Bank
Plc.Ihuoma admitted receiving over N30 million into the firm’s
account on Dec. 10, 2013.“Upon receipt of the money, I withdrew
N50, 000 cash. I made a transfer of N5 million to my personal
account with Union Bank from the corporate account.

“I also made a transfer of N10 million to my client in Sterling
Bank and N850, 000 to my lawyer as legal fee,” he said.The
anti-graft agency lawyer said the witness and his lawyer were
arrested on Dec. 11, 2013 at Union Bank Maitama while trying to
withdraw the sum of N2 million from the account.

When Abubakar asked him further if it was true that he and his
lawyer were detained at Maitama Metro Police Station on same day on
account of the N30 million received for which the witness made
withdrawals and confirmed, Ihuoma confirmed the statement.

“You were later moved to Clock Road Police Station Ikoyi, Lagos
where you were further detained in respect of this money received?”
Abubakar asked.“Yes,” he responded.“You were subsequently charged
in Ikoyi Magistrate Court in charge no: Q/47/2013 before the
Magistrate Court Igbosere, Lagos,” the lawyer said.

“Yes, it is an ongoing matter,” Ihuoma replied.The witness
admitted that NI40, 000 was in his corporate account before he
received the N30 million.He, however, denied that the money was
stolen from the coffers of the National Crop Research InstituteThe
witness, who admitted that he had received several payments from
Maina, said it was in furtherance of his work as consultant to the
pension task team.

He said he also received money from Maina in respect to the
ongoing matter in which the pension reformed boss was asking for
his reinstatement into the federal civil service at the National
Industrial Court. “Yes on March 7, 2014, I collected money in
furtherance of my work as consultant to PRTT.

“I received the sum of N50, 000 in respect to ongoing matter at
the National Industrial Court“I received N100, 000 in 2014 from
Khalid who is Maina’s younger brother, in furtherance of the
National Industrial Court matter to bring Maina back to service,”
he said.

During reexamination by counsel to Maina, Adeola Oluwole, Ihuoma
told the court that the two transactions received from Khalid were
in relation to the matter before the Industrial Court and not the
PRTT activities.

After the witness was discharged from the witness box, Justice
Abang adjourned the matter until March 10 for trial
continuation.(NAN)

Ngozika Ihuoma, a defence witness, on Tuesday, said he was not
paid to defend Abdulrasheed Maina, Chairman, defunct Pension
Reformed Task Team (PRTT), in the ongoing money laundering charge
against him. Ihuoma told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High
Court, Abuja, during the continuation of his cross examination by
the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s lawyer,
Mohammed Abubakar.

“I was not paid money to come and testify in court,” he
responded when Abubakar asked him if he was paid to testify in
court. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the witness
had, on March 4 while giving his evidence, accused the EFCC of
mismanaging about 222 assets valued at N1.63 trillion and cash
recovered by the PRTT.

Ihuoma, who alleged that Maina was being persecuted by the
ongoing trial, said the pension reformed boss deserved to be
reinstated back into service to clean up the pension mess facing
the workers. NAN also reports that the witness told the court that
he was a management consultant, whose firm, Crincad & Cari Nigeria
Ltd was contracted by the PRTT for consultancy service.At the
resumed hearing, the witness admitted defending Maina, even on a
national television.

“Is it rue that on 6th of Nov, 2017, you appeared on AIT in a
programme tagged: ‘Focus Nigeria.’“You stated that if he was
invited by Senate or EFCC, you will accompany him,” Abubakar
asked.“Yes,” Ihuoma replied.When the lawyer then asked him if it
was true that when Maina was arrested in 2019, he did not go to
volunteer a statement at the agency’s office, the witness said: “I
was never invited by EFCC.

”When Abubakar asked him if he came to testify before the court
as a witness based on subpoena issued by court, he gave a negative
response.Again, Abubakar asked him: “Is it true that you engaged in
image laundering for the 1st defendant (Maina) when he was engaging
in money laundering.”“No, I don’t know him being involved in money
laundering so I would not have been laundering his image as a
person.“I have always defended him as chairman, PRTT.

I am not a member of his personal staff neither a blood relation
but we have always met in the course of PRTT.“I am from Imo and he
is from Biu in Borno,” he responded.Earlier, the witness also
denied that he lied on oath when the EFCC lawyer asked him if it
was correct to say that he lied before the court that the judgment
of Justice Adamu Bello quashed the Senate Committee Report that
investigated the PRTT under Maina. When Abubakar said that the
exhibit tendered to prove Justice Bello’s decision was not the
complete judgment, the witness said though the judgment document
had pages 1 to 23, he said of relevant to the ongoing trial were
pages 21 to 23.“I never lied on oath.

This judgment quashed the Senate report. I spoke the truth,” he
insisted. He told the court that he was the sole signatory to the
Crincad & Cari Nigeria Ltd’s account domiciled at the Union Bank
Plc.Ihuoma admitted receiving over N30 million into the firm’s
account on Dec. 10, 2013.“Upon receipt of the money, I withdrew
N50, 000 cash. I made a transfer of N5 million to my personal
account with Union Bank from the corporate account.

“I also made a transfer of N10 million to my client in Sterling
Bank and N850, 000 to my lawyer as legal fee,” he said.The
anti-graft agency lawyer said the witness and his lawyer were
arrested on Dec. 11, 2013 at Union Bank Maitama while trying to
withdraw the sum of N2 million from the account.

When Abubakar asked him further if it was true that he and his
lawyer were detained at Maitama Metro Police Station on same day on
account of the N30 million received for which the witness made
withdrawals and confirmed, Ihuoma confirmed the statement.

“You were later moved to Clock Road Police Station Ikoyi, Lagos
where you were further detained in respect of this money received?”
Abubakar asked.“Yes,” he responded.“You were subsequently charged
in Ikoyi Magistrate Court in charge no: Q/47/2013 before the
Magistrate Court Igbosere, Lagos,” the lawyer said.

“Yes, it is an ongoing matter,” Ihuoma replied.The witness
admitted that NI40, 000 was in his corporate account before he
received the N30 million.He, however, denied that the money was
stolen from the coffers of the National Crop Research InstituteThe
witness, who admitted that he had received several payments from
Maina, said it was in furtherance of his work as consultant to the
pension task team.

He said he also received money from Maina in respect to the
ongoing matter in which the pension reformed boss was asking for
his reinstatement into the federal civil service at the National
Industrial Court. “Yes on March 7, 2014, I collected money in
furtherance of my work as consultant to PRTT.

“I received the sum of N50, 000 in respect to ongoing matter at
the National Industrial Court“I received N100, 000 in 2014 from
Khalid who is Maina’s younger brother, in furtherance of the
National Industrial Court matter to bring Maina back to service,”
he said.

During reexamination by counsel to Maina, Adeola Oluwole, Ihuoma
told the court that the two transactions received from Khalid were
in relation to the matter before the Industrial Court and not the
PRTT activities.

After the witness was discharged from the witness box, Justice
Abang adjourned the matter until March 10 for trial
continuation.(NAN)