Justice Ijeoma Ojuwku of the Federal High Court, Abuja has adjourned the trial of a former Senior Special
Assistant on Public Affairs to former president, Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, to March 6, 2019.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had on January 14, 2019 arraigned Okupe on a 59-count
charge bordering on “money laundering and criminal diversion of funds” to the tune of N702 million.
At the resumed sitting, on February 28, 2019 Osas Azonabor, an operative of the EFCC, testifying as the
first prosecution witness, was cross-examined by defence counsel, Joe Kyari Gadzama, SAN.
Azonabor
had on February 27, 2019 while being led in evidence by counsel for the
EFCC, Ibrahim Audu, narrated
how sometime in 2016, the EFCC got intelligence that some individuals
were paid by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), for
“doing nothing”.
He further told the court that investigations revealed that Okupe was one of the beneficiaries.
He also added that after analysing payment vouchers, it was realised that cash payment of N50 million
was made into Okupe’s account on April 8, 2014. Analysis of several other vouchers also revealed several of such payments.
Under cross-examination by Gadzama, the prosecution witness told the Court that during investigations,
Okupe gave investigators, “so many documents” that were analysed.
Specifically, when the defence counsel put it to him that payments as shown on the voucher were for “special
services”, Azonabor replied that the findings proved otherwise.
“When we asked Okupe further about the payments, he said he did not render any special service,” he said.
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