Court Hears Testimony on Disputed Statements in N109 Billion Fraud Case
Haruna Alabi, a retired Director of Legal Services from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, has testified in the Federal High Court in Abuja regarding a statement made by former Accountant-General Ahmed Idris. Alabi admitted to signing the back of a statement dated May 17, 2022, while Idris was in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Testifying during a trial-within-trial, Alabi stated that he visited Idris at the EFCC headquarters alongside other directors to show empathy toward their former boss. He clarified that he was the only lawyer among the visiting group and that his signature was appended only to the back of the document, rather than in any other section.
During cross-examination by prosecution counsel Oluwaleke Atolagbe, Alabi claimed he was not present when the statement was actually written and could not confirm if Idris personally authored the text. This occurred despite a portion of the document stating that the statement was taken freely and signed.
The trial-within-trial was initiated following objections by Idris's counsel, Chris Uche SAN, who argued that the statements were obtained through inducement and deception. Idris is currently facing a 14-count charge involving the alleged fraudulent diversion of N109.5 billion in public funds.
Idris is being prosecuted alongside Mohammed Usman, Geoffrey Akindele, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Justice Halilu Yusuf presided over the proceedings and has ordered the defense to produce all remaining witnesses.
The court has adjourned the continuation of the trial-within-trial to June 24, 2026, to further determine the admissibility of the disputed extra-judicial statements.
