EFCC has started its media trial, says Okupe on N750m fraud allegation

Doyin Okupe, a former aide of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has discredited the claim by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he received N75om from the office of the national security adviser (NSA) for doing nothing.

Writing via his Twitter handle on Thursday, Okupe accused the anti-graft agency of media trial.

“Efcc has started its media trial. D press release 2dy that I rcvd N750m 4 nothing,is untrue& never stated in court ystdy,” he tweeted.

Efcc has started its media trial.D press release 2dy that I rcvd N750m 4 nothing,is untrue& never stated in court ystdy

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— Doyin (@doyinokupe) February 28, 2019

Okupe was arraigned on a 59-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of N702 million.

At the trial on Wednesday, Osas Azonabor, prosecution witness and an operative of the EFCC, told the court that sometime in 2016, the agency got an intelligence report that some individuals were paid by the ONSA for doing nothing.

Speaking before Ijeoma Ojukwu, justice of the federal high court, Abuja, Azonobar said when investigations began, it was discovered that Okupe was one of the beneficiaries.

The witness told the court that the anti-graft agency wrote to the ONSA, demanding the vouchers of the payments made to Okupe.

He disclosed that after analysing the payment vouchers, it was realised that N50m was paid into Okupe’s account, as stated in a voucher dated April 8, 2014.

He said another cash payment of N6m was found to have been made to Okupe on April 2, 2014, noting that there were series of payments in multiples of N10m made to the defendant between 2012 and 2014.

He also told the court that it was discovered that N50m was paid into the Zenith Bank account of Value Trust Investment Ltd, a company in which Okupe is a director.

He added that another N35m was paid into the account of Abraham Telecoms Nig. Ltd. which Okupe is a signatory.

“Okupe said he was paid N10m monthly for 24 months by ONSA and the money was reduced to N5m monthly from January 2015 to May 2015,” he said.

“He said the money was for special services. When asked to explain what he meant by ‘special services’, he said that part of the money was used to sponsor ‘Insight’, a programme aired on NTA.”

The witness further said Okupe claimed that part of the money collected from ONSA was used to pay workers.

The case was adjourned till February 28 for cross examination and presentation of other witnesses.