Mr Mustpaha Yerima, a witness in the ongoing trial of former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, has admitted leaving out vital information in the statements he made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Yerima, while being cross examined by Badeh’s counsel, Mr Akin Olujimi (SAN), in Abuja on Wednesday said that the statements he made to the EFCC were only summary statements.
Yerima had on Tuesday told the court that the first witness, retired Air Commodore Abdullahi Yasha’u, gave him N650 million to pay for a plot for Badeh.
At the resumed hearing, on Wednesday, he told the court that there was no way he could have given details in the statements, adding that he only wrote what he could remember at the time.
He also added that the statements he made were based on questions put to him by the EFCC officials.
The witness told the court that a meeting was held where.Yisha’u had told him that the plaza which was to be built on the plot belonged to Badeh.
He said that he did not mention the meeting in the statements because he did not remember the meeting at the time he wrote it
Yerima had told the court in his evidence in chief that he bought the land on the instruction of Yasha’u
He added that Yusha’u also instructed him to do the documentation in his company’s name, RyteBuilders Technologies Ltd, pending when the real name of the purchaser would be given to him.
Yerima maintained that Yushau had told him that he was acting on behalf of his boss ( Badeh).
Olujimi, however, showed him the statements he made to the EFCC, pointing out that he did not mention anywhere that Yusha’u told him he was acting on the instructions of Badeh
He also asked Yerima why he did not mention a meeting where he was told the plaza belonged to Badeh in all the statements he made to the EFCC.
“In all your five statement that you made to the EFCC, you did not say that there was a meeting you attended in which Yusha’u told you that the plaza belongs to his boss.”
Trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, adjourned the case till June 16, for continuation of cross examination.
Badeh is being tried by the EFCC for allieged divertsion of N3.97billion meant for fighting insurgents in the North-East.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
