RITA HAS RELATIONSHIP WITH OBLA – PROSECUTOR
Emmanuel Thomas l Friday, October 27, 2017
IKEJA, Lagos -The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today informed a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja that the embattled Judge of the Federal High Court, (Ilorin), Justice Rita Ngozi Ofili-Ajumogobia renovated her Ikoyi home with N40 million.
While giving evidence before Justice Hakeem Oshodi, EFCC investigator, Lawal Abdullahi said Ajumogobia used the money to renovate her property at No 18, Layi Deinde Road, Ikoyi, adding that Ajumogobia paid the company N4 million out of the initial agreed sum for the exercise. Ajumogobia is standing trial on 30 count charge Godwin Obla, SAN for allegedly bribing the judge with N5 million.
The judge, he averred also used two of her children as directors in two of her companies, Nigel and Colive and Silversteps Incorporated, companies that never existed in the first place. Ajumogobia used her two children, Tochukwu and Aribim Ajumogobia as sole directors of her ‘companies’, whereas they had no knowledge that they were directors of their mother’s companies, the EFCC added.
“When I was conducting investigation into N5 million transferred by Godwin Obla, SAN to Ajumogobia’s company, I invited the two sole directors of Nigel and Colive, Tochukwu and Aribim Ajumogobia and they claimed not to know anything about the running of the companies despite the fact that they are the sole directors.
“It was also revealed that Ajumogobia was the sole signatory to Nigel and Colive’s account domiciled in Diamond Bank,” Abdullahi said. Besides, he told the court that a relationship exists between Ajumogobia and Obla even Ajumogobia was presiding over a case involving NIMASA with Obla as prosecutor.
“The 2nd defendant was an excellent prosecutor with the EFCC. He was the lead prosecutor in an EFCC matter involving former DG of NIMASA, Raymond Omatseye before Justice Ajumogobia at the Federal High Court Lagos. Our investigations revealed that there was communication between Ajumogobia and Obla without EFCC’s knowledge. They even met several times and EFCC was not aware.
“Obla is a very good friend of Ajumogobia. Their friendship goes way back to when they were school, information he held back from EFCC.They even met in her Chambers at Kofo Abayomi several times sometimes in April and May 2015 where there was an exchange of account numbers. Obla then through his UBA account credited Ajumogobia’s Diamond Bank company account with N5 million. The NIMASA matter was concluded in May 2016, where Omatseye was convicted but the judgment was later overturned by an Appeal Court.
“When Ajumogobia was invited to the Commission’s office to state why she collected money from Obla, she gave three different reasons. She first of all denied knowing Obla, then went on to say that the N5m was meant for a property Obla asked her to buy for him in Hilltop Abeokuta, adding that he paid N5m out of the N28.5m which was the asking price of the property.
“Again, Ajumogobia also said that she collected the money from Obla to buy a property worth N40m in Kashi village Abuja,” Abdullahi said. However when Obla was invited by the EFCC, he gave a conflicting reason for paying the money into Ajumogobia’s account.
“Obla during questioning said that he gave Ajumogobia the money to help him purchase iron rods for a property he was developing. Obla was shown Ajumogobia’s statement and he denied asking her to buy any property on his behalf. He was however vague about who supplied him the iron rods, adding that it was one Joseph or George from Nigel and Colive. We wrote a letter to Nigel and Colive but there was no response. When we got to the office address located at No 23 Borno Way Ebutte Metta we discovered that the company does not exist,” Abdullahi added.
The EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo tried to tender as evidence some documents in relation to a N22 million mortgage of a property located in UK, but Ajumogobia’s counsel, Robert Clarke SAN, objected to the move. Justice Oshodi thereafter adjourned the matter till November 10 for continuation of trial. The Judge also ordered the release of Obla’s passport in order for him to travel to Atlanta Georgia in the United States to visit his daughter who who just gave birth.
