Police pension scam: EFCC denies inducing defendant

An operative with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rukayya Ibrahim, told the FCT High Court on Wednesday that she never induced the fourth defendant to make a statement.

She was testifying in the Police Pension scam during cross-examination of witnesses.

The defendants in the case are Esar Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Wada, Veronica Onyegbula, Sani Zira, Uzoma Attang, and Christian Madubuke, who are alleged to have been involved in the scam.

They are standing trial for complicity in the over N24 billion scam in the police pension fund.

The fourth defendant, Mrs Veronica Onyegbula through her lawyer, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), told the court that she was forced to make confessional statements to EFCC.

Fagbemi , called for the trial within a trial to prove the veracity of the statements she made to EFCC, which the prosecution sought to tender as exhibits before the court.  Fagbemi claimed the statements were not made voluntarily.

The EFCC operative during cross- examination by Onyegbula’s counsel told the court that she never promised the defendant anything if she should implicate her bosses.

She told the court that the commission had enough evidence on her and that they don’t need to induce her, adding that she worked with all the directors in her office that was why she is the prime suspect.

“Her bail condition has nothing to do with her level; it has everything to do with her involvement in the scam,” she said.

She added that the anti-graft agency never lowers the fourth defendant’s bail condition after she agreed to implicate her bosses in the scam, informing that bail condition had nothing to do with making a statement or not.

The witness told the court that she took most of the statements made by the fourth defendant as the front investigating officer involved in investigating her involvement in the scam.

Justice Hussain Baba-Yusuf however, adjourned the case until May 26 for the continuation of cross-examination.