A witness has told the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos how he got $4 million cash from for President Goodluck Jonathan’s ex-aide Waripamo-Owei Dudafa.
It was during the trial of the former Senior Special Assistant of Domestic Affairs to the ex-President on a 23-count charge of concealment, retention of proceeds of crime, and failure to furnish information, before Justice Mohammed Idris.
He was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
A Bureau de Change operator Murtala Abubakar said he received about N1.6 billion from Mr. Dudafa through five companies – Pluto Properties and Investment Limited, Avalon Global Property, Rotato Interlink Services, Seagate Property and Ebiwise Services Limited – between 2013 and 2015.
Dudafa is standing trails with Joseph Iwejuo.
The witness said he had known Mr. Dudafa since his days as Commissioner for Local Government in Bayelsa State
“He (Mr. Dudafa) usually sent two of his employees – Festus and Jahman – with dollars in order to change same and deposit the naira equivalent into specific accounts he provided via text messages,” said Mr. Abubakar.
The witness said he received those text messages from Mr. Dudafa on his Samsung mobile phone. The mobile phone and an Ownership Attestation Form were admitted and marked as Exhibits E and E1 respectively.
When asked whether all the instructions on how to disburse the money were received via text messages, Mr. Murtala replied in the affirmative; but added that in the last transaction, Mr. Dudafa invited him to the Presidential Villa and handed to him $4 million cash.
The witness was confronted with exhibits A – B3 in which he identified all the transactions that transpired between himself and Mr. Dudafa from 2013 to 2015 both from his companies’ accounts and his personal account.
