By Jerry Uwah
Lagos
A former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd), two serving senior officers of the Air Force and eight companies, were yesterday arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos on a 23-count charge bordering on fraud, money laundering and stealing.
The two serving senior officers arraigned alongside Amosu, were Air Vice Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun and Air Commodore Gbadebo Owodunni Olugbenga.
The arraigned companies were Delfina Oil and Gas Limited, McAllan Oil and Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited, Trapezitrs Bureau De Change ((BDC), Fonds and Pricey Limited, Deegee Oil and Gas Limited, Timsegg Investment Limited, and Solomon Health Care Limited.
The accused persons were alleged to have committed the offences between March 5, 2014, and May 4, 2015.
They officers were alleged to have converted several billions of naira belonging to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to their personal use.
In one of the counts, the accused persons were alleged to have converted the sum of N21, 467,634,707.43, property of Force, which was derived from stealing, to their personal use.
They were also alleged to have between May 5, 2014 and May 4, 2015 in Lagos, indirectly converted to their personal use, the sum of N5, 291, 306, 950.28, property of the Nigerian Air Force, which sum they reasonably ought to have known, forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to stealing.
Amosu, Adigun and Olugbenga, were alleged to have, between July 17, and September 16, 2014, used the British Pounds Sterling, equivalent of the sum of N663, 443,291, removed from the accounts of the NAF to purchase for themselves, two properties situated at 50-52 Tenterden Grove, London (NW41TH) and 93B Shirehall Park, London NW4 2QU, United Kingdom.
The EFCC further alleged that Amosu and his co-accused, had, between March 3, 2014 and March 12, 2015, used the sum of N202, 920, 200, which they removed from the accounts of the Nigerian Air Force, to purchase for themselves a property situated at 1, River Street, Wuse II Abuja.
The trios were also alleged to have, between March 6 and April 30, 2015, use the sum of N428, 139,539, which they jointly removed from the accounts of the Nigerian Air Force, to renovate and purchase medical equipment for their hospital, Solomon HealthCare Limited, located at 24, Adeniyi Jones Street, Ikeja Lagos.
Amosu and Adigun were also alleged to had, between January 8, and April13, 2015, used the sum of N1, 701,400,570, removed from the accounts of the Nigerian Air Force to purchase for themselves a property situate at Agobogba Street, Parkview, Ikoyi Lagos.
The offences, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo Iseoluwa, are contrary to sections 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
After the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges, the prosecutor urged the court to ensure accelerated hearing, and also applied that the accused persons be remanded in prison pending the determination of the bail applications.
However, lawyers to the accused persons, which included Mr. Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), Mr. Norris Quakers (SAN), and A. Etuokwu, urged the court to discontinuance the remand application made by the prosecutor against their clients.
Ayorinde, who represented the former NAF boss and Solomon Health Care Limited, informed the court that a bail application for his client has been filed and served on the prosecution, and that his client had refunded a colossal amount.
This much was confirmed by the EFCC counsel who said, Amosu had returned the sum of N4 billion to the Commission.
Both Quakers and Etuokwu urged the court to admit their clients to bails in the most liberal terms.
Responding to the submissions of the defence counsel, Oyedepo, said in as much as he was not opposing the bail applications of the accused persons, he was only served of the applications yesterday and today.
Ruling on their submissions, the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Idris said, “in view of the facts that there is no counter-affidavit to the bail applications, the court hereby admits bails to the accused persons in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in the like sum.
“The sureties must be property owners within the jurisdiction of the court, and title documents of the properties must be submitted to the court’s Registrar, which must be verified by the EFCC.”
Justice Idris further ordered that the sureties must swear to affidavit of means, which must be verified by the EFCC.
The judge also ordered all the accused persons to submit their international passports with the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR).
In conclusion, Justice Idris, before adjourning the accused persons’ trial to July 8, ordered that Amosu and Olugbenga be remanded in prison custody, while the third accused, Adigun be remanded at EFCC’s custody, because of his state of health, pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
