Former Director of Finance and Accounts at the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Air Commodore Salisu Abdullahi Yushau (retd), has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the erstwhile Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd), had a particular officer whose duty was to convert N558.2 million to dollars monthly.
Vanguard reports , however, that Yushua said he did not keep record of money handed to Badeh. He is the star witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which is prosecuting Badeh over allegation of siphoning about N3.9 billion from NAF account in 2013.
Yushua told the court that the dollar equivalent of the N558.2 million was usually handed over to the defendant at his official residence at Niger Barracks, Abuja.
Even though Yushua earlier informed the court that all the past Air Chiefs also indulged in such practice, however, he said that upon his assumption of office, Badeh detailed one Group Captain Sini to handle the dollar conversion.
According to him, Badeh, subsequently, influenced the redeployment of Group Capt. Sini to the Finance and Accounts Unit.
His words, “The chief later asked me to post Group Capt. Sini to take over the changing of over N558.2 million into dollars which he brings to me and I personally take the dollar equivalent to him (Badeh). My Command Finance Officers have all the records of all the money I gave to Chief Badeh. While I was in custody of the EFCC, my finance officers were also invited and they gave the records of all the property procured for the defendant.”
Yushua, however denied cross-examination by Badeh’s lawyer, Chief Akinolu Olujumi, SAN, ever telling the EFCC that the defendant used N90 million to furnish a mansion he bought for his son, Alex Badeh Jnr.
“In EFCC, I was never asked how much was used to furnish Alex Badeh Jnr’s house. It was in the court that I first mentioned the issue of the N90 million. It is, however, in the record of the Nigerian Air Force that the money was paid,” he said.
Yushua also denied allegation that he was coerced by operatives of the EFCC to implicate the former Defence Chief. “All the statements I made were answers to questions from the EFCC. But the statements were mine and were voluntarily made,” he insisted, saying the N558.2 million was left over from funds meant for payment of salaries.
Vanguard reported further that the witness told the court that prior to his appointment as the CDS, Badeh, hitherto held sway as the officer in charge of budget office of the NAF.
He said: “The responsibility of budgeting for the NAF was under the Chief of Policy and Plans and the first defendant was in charge of that office from August 2010 to sometime in 2012. That was during the time of Air Marshal M.D. Umar.
“Budget office of NAF was not under the Director of Finance and Account when I was there. So I did not know what was going on in respect to budgeting.” Meanwhile, Justice Okon Abang has adjourned further cross-examination of the witness till April 19.
