Admin l Friday, May 26, 2017
LAGOS, Nigeria – Chief Executive Officer of Arkleen oil and gas, Mr. Gregory Ero today informed an Ikeja High Court that Justice Rita Ofili- Ajumogobia loaned N18 million from him to buy a property in the United Kingdom.
Ero who was testifying as a witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said Ofili Ajumogobia stopped picking his calls after she borrowed the money. Ero claimed that despite Ofili-Ajumogobia’s promise to repay the money, after sometime she stopped picking his calls.
“I knew Ajumogobia sometimes in 2002 before she became a Federal High Court Judge. She was employed when we outsourced for a secretary. She was paid ad hoc fees as we did not have a regular structure as at then. She worked with us for two years before she was appointed as a Judge.
“She came to our office one day after she stopped working with us and sought to have a private audience with me. I obliged and she asked for a loan of N18 million because she had pressing needs.
“I enquired what the urgency was about and she told me that she had a shortfall of N18m for a property she wanted to buy in the UK as she needed to move out of the family house immediately.
“As a christian I obliged her request and also based on the fact that she is known to me. She went further to tell me that she has properties which would generate rent while also giving me a payment plan for the repayment of the loan.
“Sadly after a year she did not pay back. I started calling her and she would pick my call. But between 2012 and 2013 she stopped picking my calls.
“I personally went to her house but I was turned back at the gate when I was informed that she was not around. I went to her house more than twenty times but I was always turned back at the gate. I am disappointed in her as I found her actions bizarre. Up till now, she has refused to pay me my money. I still need my money as the money was taken from our retail earnings. I have not written it off, I still need my money,” Ero said.
Also on Friday, the anti-graft agency called on it’s ninth witness, Mr. Tahir Musa, who was a Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, told the court that the Comptroller General of Customs Abdullai Dikko Inde gave him a slip of paper which contained the name, Nigel and Colive, a company owned by Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia.
“The DG sometimes in 2014 called me back and gave me the name of the company directing me to tell one Musa Omale to liase with some area comptrollers and transfer 1 million each to Omale’s account for onward transfer to the company’s account.
“The Customs Commands mentioned are: Apapa, Tincan Island, Kirikiri Landing Terminal, Murtala Mohammed, Federal and Sea, Onne Air and Ogun State Command,” Musa said.
The witness however said that he did not know why the money was paid into Nigel and Colive’s account. Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia is standing trial alongside a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Godwin Obla, who was accused of bribing her with N5m.
During the proceedings on Friday, Obla’s counsel, Chief Ferdinand Oby, informed the court of his decision to withdraw two earlier applications seeking severance and separate trial by his client. Oby also informed the court of an application seeking the release of his client’s international passport in order for him to travel to the United States of America for medical purposes.
Ofili-Ajumogobia’s counsel, Mr. Olawale Akoni (SAN), also applied for a 30 days medical leave for his client, on the grounds of ill health. EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo however objected to Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s application on the grounds that it was a ploy by the defense to stall the trial. After listening to all the arguments Justice Hakeem Oshodi adjourned the matter till June 1 to rule on the applications.
Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, a serving judge of the Federal High Court, is being prosecuted alongside Obla by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The embattled judge and the SAN were arraigned on November 28, 2016 on 30 counts. The anti-graft agency had alleged that the second defendant, Obla, while appearing in a matter before Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, offered a gratification of N5m to the judge to allegedly induce the judge to refrain from acting in the exercise of her official duties as a public officer.
Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia was also accused of receiving a total of $793,800 in several tranches from different sources between 2012 and 2015. The EFCC claimed that the embattled judge and the SAN acted contrary to sections 64 (1) and 97 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, No. 11, 2011.
