How Ex-NAMA Boss, Agbolade Bought Filling Station with agency funds – EFCC 

An investigator with the economic and financial crime commission EFCC Nurudeen Bello has narrated how the embattled former managing director of National Airspace Management Agency Mr Ibrahim  Abdulsalam  and others who were alleged defrauded the agency while serving as an official of the agency into the tune of N2.8bn before  Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday

Nurudeen tendered a petition that leads to the investigation and subsequent prosecution of Ibrahim Abdulsalam, former Managing Director, Nigeria Airspace Agency, NAMA, and others.

Abdulsalam is facing trial alongside Nnamdi Udoh (still at large), Adegorite Olumuyiwa, Segun Agbolade, Clara Aliche, Joy Ayodele Adegorite, Randville Invesment Limited and Multeng Travels and Tours Limited for conspiring to induce NAMA to deliver the sum of N2.8billion to Deposit Limited, Air Sea Delivery Limited and Sea Schedule Systems Limited under the pretext that the money represented the cost of clearing NAMA’s consignments.

Nurudeen who was led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that, a petition was assigned to his team on the 5th of February, 2016, which was analysed and subsequent letters were written to various Banks of the agency to furnish the commission with all account statement of Nama.

” we equally wrote to the Nigerian custom service to obtain the records of importation made by the Nigerian Airpace management agency from 2010 to 2016

We also wrote to Guarantee trust bank attaching the Nigerian custom service payment receipts seeking for the  authentification by the bank.

Nurudeen said that investigations said that documents importation could not be confirmed from records.

So, a response was sent back to the EFCC, stating that the purported documents said to have been issued by the bank could not be found in the records of the bank,” he said.

At the reaume of trial on Friday, Nurudeen was also showed the statement of the third defendant, which he identified as the statement he took on the 15,16,18,22,24 day of February and 12 March 2016 and also identified the responses from the letters he wrote to customs and their replies to the EFCC

The prosecution counsel, through the witness, sought to tender the statements of the third defendant which was admitted and marked as exhibits E 1-7 and F respectively.

When been asked to read out the statement of account of account of Randville Invesment Limited the witness  listed several millions of Naira that was received by Belosa, who withdraws this money from Nema account to transfer to Randville Investment, before  transferring, to Multeng Travels and Tours Limited, multeng Engineering, multeng Aviation, NNPC Retail Limited , Airspace delivery, various BDC’S, cash withdrawals were mostly done  by Segun Agbolade and  Joy Ayodele Adegorite, for onward transfer to Segun Agbolade , some cash payments were made to one Alaba Odulani.

Nurudeen further stated that Investigations revealed that those transfers were mostly below Nine Million Naira (N9,000,000.00) in tranches on same day,and several days in different months which was done to avoid triggering the reporting requirements of banks if money transferred is up to Ten Million Naira ( N10,000,000.00).

 He also stated that withdrawals made by Segun Agbolade which where mostly Three Million Naira but in tranches, and the transfers to Multeng Travel and Tours, Multeng Engineering, Multeng Aviation was made in order to facilitate withdrawals because of the cashless policy, the Bank Introduced.

While the several Millions transferred to NNPC retail limited was to supply petroleum Products to the filling station owned by Segun Agbolade. The money transferred from Randville Invesment Limited to one mr Alaba Odulani was for the purchase of a filling station located at Egbeda Lagos state.

The proceeding was however cut off due to of 5th defendant Joy Adegorite ill health.

The situation that force justice Babs Kuewumi to adjourned further proceeding to 13th and 14th of June, 2019.