EFCC witness admits constructing houses, Mosque, Churches for Badeh

The 13th prosecution witness, Joseph Okpetu, told a Federal High Court on Friday that he renovated houses, built churches and mosque for former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh.
Okpetu, in his resumed testimony before Justice Okon Abang, said he constructed Badeh’s Yola mansions worth N150 million between 2008 and 2012.
He said that he was contracted to renovate Badeh’s house, destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in Vimtim village in the Mubi Local Government Area of Adamawa and was paid N50 million.
“I also built a Mosque, renovated three churches and a civic centre meant for skills acquisition and was paid N100 million in three instalments by Air Commodore Yishau.
Okpetu also said his company started dealing with the Nigerian Air Force far back in 2010, and had completed contracts in Kano, Kaduna, Yola, Markurdi and Abuja for the government.
He stressed that of the N50 million meant for the renovation, he was made to build a house for an officer in-charge of the Joint Task Force.
“I used about N14 million and N15 million on the building of the officer house in Mubi on Badeh’s directive.
“There was no award of contract from either the Army or the Navy for the construction of the house of the Officer-in-Charge,’’ he said.
When asked if he knew the 2nd defendant, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, he said “I don’t know Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, but I was paid N30 million from its account in 2015
“We used the money for clearing of the perimeters in Badeh’s farm and imported materials then planted equipment at Akanciye in Nasarawa State.
“During the tenure of Badeh, I constructed the dining hall of Air Force Comprehensive School, supplied generator and also built in Kano 18 by two, non-commissioned officers’ quarters.
“We drilled borehole also in Makurdi Air Force Base,” Okpetu added.
He further said that the share structure of one of his company Vim Plast Nigeria Limited are, three million naira to Alex Badeh (Jnr), three million naira to Kamtufa Badeh and four million naira to himself (Joseph Okpetu).
He added that it was later changed in 2015 to six million naira to Joseph Okpetu, three million to Kamtufa Badeh, N500,000 to Victoria Okpetu, and N500,000 also to Architect Dan Williams.
He said Kamtufa constructed a house in Kubwa, Abuja, adding that his father gave him the house as a contribution to the company.
Okpetu, who was cross examined by Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), defence counsel, said he was detained and released by EFCC without spending a night.
He also admitted that he was not psychologically stable while writing the statements in the absence of his lawyer.
The witness added that he wrote and signed all statements he made on eight occasions when he was in the custody of the EFCC.
The statements were tendered and admitted in evidence by Justice Abang as exhibit T89-T96, respectively.
Abang also adjourned the matter till Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 for continuation of cross examination.
The EFCC is prosecuting Badeh alongside a firm, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, on a 10-count charge of money laundering bordering on alleged fraudulent removal of about N3.97 billion from the Nigerian Air Force’s account.
The anti-graft agency accused Badeh of using the funds to buy and develop landed assets in Abuja for himself and two sons between January and December, 2013.