There was a dramatic scene at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission made a startling revelation. They claimed that their key witness, Rabiu Musa, in the case against Ali Bello and his co-defendant, Daudu Suleiman, had been intimidated and forced to avoid appearing for the trial.
The witness, who is a Bureau De Change, BDC, operator based in Abuja, was reportedly subjected to intimidation after testifying in the previous trial. This situation has apparently caused him to refrain from attending today’s trial.
During the ongoing trial before Justice James Omotosho, the EFCC’s attorney, Hannatu Kofarnaisa, levied these accusations.
During the court session, Kofarnaisa informed Justice Omotoso that Musa would be unable to attend and provide further evidence-in-chief in the case.
According to her, the basis for this claim is the witness’ previous encounters with threats. She further stated that she attempted to contact the witness on five separate occasions but did not receive any response.
Abdullahi Aliu, SAN, representing Ali Bello, stated in court that he won’t respond to the EFCC’s accusations as they were not directly aimed at his client. He also expressed no objection to the adjournment request.
A surprising turn of events occurred during the trial as the witness, who claimed to have been intimidated into withholding their testimony, unexpectedly entered the courtroom displaying no signs of unease.
Ali Bello’s attorney rose and directed the judge’s attention to the discreet entrance of the witness into the courtroom, intending to capture the full focus and awareness of everyone present.
The tension was eased by Justice Omotoso when he prohibited the defense lawyers from engaging in arguments with the anti-corruption agencies regarding the allegations. Moreover, during the witness’s testimony, he acknowledged that one of his transaction record books, which had been confiscated by the EFCC during a raid on his office in Abuja’s Wuse area, and stated that he was acquainted with Ali Bello.
During the questioning by Daudu Suleiman’s legal representative, Nureni Jimoh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the BDC operator, who professed to be uneducated, revealed that a majority of the transactions were documented by one of his employees called Mubarak, who he stated was literate and presently pursuing higher education at a university.
He further acknowledged that certain portions of the transactions were documented in his absence, but upon his arrival at the office, he was consistently informed about them.
Justice Omotoso subsequently postponed the case until February 22 and 23 for the continuation of the trial.
Drama: Why EFCC’s witnesses failed to appear
