Ex-NDDC Committee Chair, Mutu Denies Involvement In Alleged Bribe, Abuse of Office Suit

A former House of Representatives’ Committee Chairman on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Nicholas Mutu Ebomo, standing trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly receiving bribe in a fraudulent oil deal has denied involvement in the crime.

Mr Mutu, through his lawyers, said he was innocent of the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He said that the EFCC pressed the charge against him though he did not benefit from the over N400m illegal gratification which was the subject of the charge before the court.

His lead defense counsel, Patrick Ikweto, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) distanced his client from “unconfirmed” reports suggesting that the EFCC has recovered about N150m from Mr. Mutu being proceeds of corruption.

The EFCC had on February 4th arraigned the former lawmaker with two firms – Airworld Technologies LTD and Oyien Homes LTD – on an 11-count charge bordering on fraud and abuse of office.

A count in the charge accused Mr Mutu of benefitting from proceeds of corruption, gratification and fraudulent acquisition of property.

The former house committee chairman who served between 2014 and 2016, however, pleaded not guilty and was granted administrative bail.

His lawyer, Nr Ikweto (SAN) described as false and a “product of poor hatchet job”, reports indicating that three witnesses presented by the EFCC in continuation of the trial linked the former lawmaker to the crime.

Several reports including of Opera News narrated how N400 million was sent to the first defendant as a token for him to influence and facilitate a deal for oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region.

According to the publication, Inabua Michael West, a businessman with Starline Consultancy Services International Auditing and Account Service who testified as the second prosecution witness, told the court that he knows Airworld Technologies Limited and Oyiem Homes Limited, adding that the company won the contract with NDDC to recover and recollect the statutory levies from oil companies operating in Niger Delta region.

“We sat with members of the Committee and a chartered accountant for the project, team and the companies later paid the three per cent statutory levy to NDDC.

“When NDDC paid us our service fee, my principal officer suggested that we show appreciation to the Chairman of the Committee and Oyiem Homes Limited, and so we sent monies in tranches. The first amount was N400 million and was sent through our Heritage and Fidelity banks accounts”, Opera News reported.

The Defense Counsel said the evidence of the EFCC was punctured when the first prosecution witness, Bosu Aregbua, during cross-examination said that Hon. Mutu never asked for anything, rather, they were the ones that on their own initiative and volition, determined and paid money to Airworld Technologies Ltd & Oyien Homes Ltd, the 2nd & 3rd Defendants respectively, as appreciation.

“He also stated under cross-examination that the money paid by NDDC to them as Consultants was legitimately earned as agreed between the parties in the agreement executed between them. He further stated that the money earned and disbursed was not a proceed of crime”, Mr Ikweto, a senior advocate of Nigeria told Security monitors

He also noted that Inabua Michael West and Akindeye Ezekiel, the 2nd & 3rd prosecution witnesses corroborated the evidence of the 1st prosecution witness and went further to deny knowing or meeting with Hon. Mutu at any time.

The lawyer further denied that the EFCC has recovered N150 million from Mutu and is seeking an order of the court for forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government as being circulated in the unconfirmed reports.