The trial of Abiodun Agbele, an aide to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, kicked off yesterday at the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday as the first prosecution witness told the court how more than N1.2 billion was brought into Akure airport for governor Fayose.
The witness, Sunday Alade, the Akure branch manager of Zenith Bank, told the court that the money was brought in by former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro and two others, on June 17, 2014
Alade, was led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu, and he gave details of how Fayose’s aide, Agbele supervised the lodgment of the cash into different accounts, including those allegedly belonging to Fayose, his company, Spotless Investment and others.
In a statement which was tendered by the prosecution before the court, Alade stated how he was directed by his colleague in Ibadan, Lawrence Akande, to arrange for a bullion van to take to evacuate some cash from the Akure airport, sometime in June 2014
He said that after waiting for some time at the airport the medium-sized aircraft conveying part of the money arrived.
“After the aircraft had parked, three individuals came down and Mr. Abiodun Agbele walked to meet them,” the witness stated.
“They had a brief discussion and two of the three men walked away and entered a waiting Toyota Hillux, one of the two appeared to be Senator Musiliu Obanikoro.
“The remaining individual, together with Abiodun Agbele then invited my team to come to the tarmac with the bullion van. And we off-loaded the cash to the bullion van.
“We then drove to the bank in the town in a convoy with their security team made up of soldiers and Mopol officers. At the branch, we just bundle counted the cash and ascertained it was N724,500,000.
“The person that handed over the cash later introduced himself as Adewale A. O and claimed to be a military aide de camp to Senator Obanikoro. He left us in the bank and went back to the airport in Akure.”
The witness added that they drove back to the airport “After about three hours … and waited until when another aircraft came with the second tranche, which was equally off-loaded to our bullion van and taken to the bank branch in Akure for ascertainment in the presence of Abiodun Agbele and one Adewale A. O.”
“This second movement was ascertained to be N494,990,000 only. We were then informed by Abiodun Agbele that the cash was to be credited to various accounts,” Alade said.
The witness also provided details of how the money was credited into the various accounts.
“The account credited and the amount are as follows: N100m was credited to Spotless Investment account: 1010170969 on 17/06/2014; Deprivateer Ltd was credited in account: 1013835889 with N219,490,000 on 18/06/2014 and another N300m on 19/06/2014 and another N200m on 23/06/2014.
“Another account owned by Ayodele Fayose was credited with N137,000,000 on 26/06/1014. This brings the total amount credited to the various accounts to N956,490,000.
“Mr. Abiodun Agbele then eventually took away the cash balance of N263m with their security team to Ado-Ekiti on the same day the cash was delivered in Akure.”
The zenith bank manager said he was able to recognize Obanikoro because of “his picture that I used to see on the television and newspaper but I cannot recognise the third person that came out of the aircraft with him.”
He also pointed out that the monies were stashed inside “several sacks popularly referred to as Ghana-must-go sack.”
Recall that Agbele was first arraigned before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja on August 3, 2016, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
He is facing an 11 count-charge of money laundering involving about N4,685,723,000,000, allegedly taken by former National Security Adviser, NSA.
The EFCC said Agbele, Obanikoro and the other suspects – still at large – “reasonably ought to have known” that the money was part of proceeds of Dasuki’s unlawful activity.