N5.1bn Fraud: Witness Claimed He Was Starved in EFCC’S Custody

A witness, Joseph Iwejuo, on Monday, told a Federal High Court in Lagos, that he was starved for two days while in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) detention.

Iwejuo is charged alongside a former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Warampa-Owei Dudafa, on a 23-count charge of N5.1 billion fraud.

He made the claim during his examination-in-chief by his lawyer, Sunday Abumere, in a trial-within-trial, ordered by the court to determine whether or not his statements to the commission were voluntarily obtained.

Recounting his ordeal, he said: “I was a banker before this whole thing started but I got suspended because of the ongoing case.

“I was invited to my bank’s head office on May 10, 2016, for an onward movement to the EFCC’s office to be interrogated on an issue.

“On arrival at the place, I was taken to one Orji Chukwuma, who told me that I need to help them on this issue and that they want me to be a witness against the first accused (Dudafa).

“Two other officers of the EFCC said the same thing to me. I was later given a paper to write my statement but it was withheld because I was told that was not what they wanted me to write.

“During this period, I did not eat anything for two days; When I wanted to go and eat, Orji told me I could not go because there was no officer that will follow me to the canteen.

“My phone was later taken away from me and I was guided on what to write. I was told i won’t be detained if I co-operated with them,” he said.

Iwejuo testified that he wrote more than 11 statements at the EFCC’s office.

Dudafa, who earlier, in his concluding evidence, in the trial-within-trial, insisted that he wrote his statements under duress.

Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned to Feb. 21.

Some of the companies allegedly used by the duo in committing the offences include; Seagate Property Development; Investment Ltd, and Avalon Global Property Development Company Ltd.

Others include: Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd; Rotate Interlink Services Ltd; Ibejige Services Ltd; DE Jakes Fast Food & Restaurant Nigeria Ltd and Ebiwise Resources.