Justice Chizoba Oji of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Apo, has admitted in evidence statements made by Personal Assistant to the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Ali Abdullahi in a N10million bribery scandal against Danladi Umar, the CCT chair.
The court ruled that the statement was freely made against Umar, who is standing trial over the alleged scandal.
The trial judge, Justice Oji, had dismissed claims by Abdullahi that the implicating statement he made in 2013 was made under duress from operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the course of his interrogation.
The judge held that from the plethora of evidence before the court, the EFCC operatives who testified during the trial proved beyond reasonable doubt that the statement was made by the defendant on his own volition in an open room. The judge dismissed the claims of coercion by Abdullahi as an afterthought.
Abdullahi had in the statement made in August 12, 2013 named his boss, Umar as the beneficiary of the alleged bribe said to have been offered by a former Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi who was standing trial on false asset declaration at the CCT.
However, during trial, Abdullahi recanted and asked the Judge not to admit the statement as exhibit on the ground that it was made under duress.
After the ruling, the statement was admitted in evidence as Exhibit P5. The Judge thereafter adjourned the matter to March 27, 2017 for continuation of trial.
