Yusuf Bello| A former prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Godwin Obla has told the presidential panel headed by Justice Ayo Salami how the Economic and Financial Crime Commission under Ibrahim Magu kept him in detention for 21 days.
According to Obla, Magu ordered his detention following his demand for the payment of N763 million legal fees which the EFCC owes him.
Obla, who testified before the panel on Monday, Obla, said he prosecuted high-profile cases for the EFCC, but was arrested and detained over trumped-up charges of bribing Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, a judge, when he asked for payment of the accrued sum.
He said, “As of date, the EFCC owes me an outstanding balance of N685,389,928.10 and $202,460.47 (N78.5m) or its naira equivalent at the prevailing Central Bank of Nigeria exchange rate, together with interest at prime lending rate, being professional fees for the prosecution of over 40 high profile cases.”
“In effect, Ibrahim Magu deliberately and maliciously denied me the fruits of my services for EFCC whilst putting me to great expense to defend a worthless charge.
“I have never made any payment of N5 million or any other amount to Justice Ajumogobia. To the best of my recollection, the payment of N5 million under reference was a payment I made on May 21, 2015 to a company named Nigel & Colive Nig. Ltd, for the purchase of building materials for my construction site in Abuja (now my present office building).
“At that material time of this commercial transaction and till date, I had no prior knowledge that Justice Ajumogobia had any interest whatsoever in the company.”
Magu, the suspended EFCC acting chairman, was arrested and detained on Monday, July 6, 2020, over allegation of corruption and insubordination by the attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami.
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