"I Received $4 Million Cash Inside Presidential Villa From Jonathan'a Aide"s-Murtala Abubakar

A witness at the ongoing trial of Waripamo-Owei
Dudafa, an aide of former President Goodluck
Jonathan, on Monday told a federal court in Lagos
that he received $4 million in cash from the
defendant.

Murtala Abubakar, a bureau de change operator,
said he received a total of 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.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
had arraigned Mr. Dudafa, a former Senior Special
Assistant to Mr. Jonathan, and Joseph Iwejuo on a
23-count charge of concealment, retention of
proceeds of crime, and failure to furnish
information, before Justice Mohammed Idris of the
Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.
Mr. Abubakar, led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo,
counsel to the EFCC, said he had known Mr.
Dudafa since his days as a Commissioner for Local
Government in Bayelsa State under the
administration of Governor Timipre Sylva.
The witness also told the court that the only
relationship between the two of them was forex
transaction that continued up to the time Mr.
Dudafa became a personal assistant to President
Jonathan.
“He (Mr. Dudafa) usually send two of his staff,
Festus and Jahman, with dollars in order to
change same and deposit the naira equivalent
into specific accounts he provides 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.
“I can confirm that all the dollars received during
the transactions came from him,” Mr. Abubakar
said.
When it was time for the cross-examination of the
witness, the defendants’ counsels, Gboyega
Oyewale and Sunday Abumeri, requested for an
adjournment.
The judge adjourned till September 27 for cross-
examination.