Alfa who impersonated Femi Adesina has mighty buildings, says witness

 Juliana Francis 

The Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on Tuesday, heard how a self-styled herbalist, Alfa Jamiu Isiaka, who allegedly impersonated the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, allegedly used proceed of crimes to acquire houses.

Aside from impersonating Adesina, Isiaka, was also said to have impersonate a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, to defraud a South Korean National, Keun Sig Kim to the tune of N30million.

The trial of Isiaka resumed on Tuesday with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), recalling its star witness, Dare Folarin.

According to the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, 31-year-old Isiaka, while presenting himself as a senior government official, deceived Sig Kim to collect various sums of money to the tune of N30million, under the pretence of securing an NNPC approval and marketing form and license certificate for him to buy crude oil in Nigeria.

Uwujaren said: “In the course of interrogation, Isiaka claimed that he used the money to conduct sacrifice for the petitioner. According to him, part of the money was used to buy vulture, elephant skin, elephant intestine, skull of a lion and liver of gorilla.”

The Ilorin Zonal Office of the EFCC had on June 14, 2019 arraigned Isiaka on a four-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, impersonation and forgery of documents before Justice Mahmood  Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.

The court however turned down his bail application and ordered his remand at the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Mandala.

In the course of trial, the EFCC presented witnesses and tendered various documents which were admitted in evidence by the court. Consequently, the prosecution closed its case, setting the stage for the defendant to open its defence.

“The Commission received fresh intelligence on the matter, which led to new discoveries. Hence, the prosecution sought leave of the Court to tender in evidence records of its new findings. The application was graciously granted by the court,” said Uwujaren.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, counsel to the EFCC, O. B Akinsola said: "My Lord,  you will recall that this court had earlier granted our application to recall the officer who investigated this case. The witness is in court, ready to testify."

Testifying, the witness, Folarin, narrated how intelligence received shortly after the Commission closed its case led to new discoveries on the matter.

According to him, further investigations on the intelligence received revealed that the defendant, among other things, used part of the money he fraudulently collected from Sig Kim to acquire property in Ilorin.

He added: "My Lord, after the Commission closed its case, based on intelligence reports, we discovered a mighty residential building built by the defendant, Isiaka, at Oke-Fomo area of Ilorin. We were able to establish that Isiaka is the original owner of the said property. Part of the money he collected from a South Korean National, Sig Kim was used to build the house.”

Pictures of the said house were tendered and admitted as exhibits by the court. Thereafter, Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the case until January  21, 2021, for the defendant to open its defence.