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Witness Speaks Up On Moving N200m From Fayose’s Residence

A banker Johnson Abidakun has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that a former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose allegedly invited a bank to move N200m cash from his residence.
The witness testified on Thursday for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Fayose’s N2.2bn fraud trial.
He told Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke that the cash was moved in April 2016 with police escort from Fayose’s official residence in Ado-Ekiti.
He alleged that this was done when bank’s Head of Operations at Ekiti which made him in charge of three units, namely: Funds Transfer; Cash and Teller; and Customer Service.
Abidakun said: “I received a call from my Zonal Head, Dr Abiodun Oshode, that there was an assignment to be carried out; that there was a sum of N200m to be moved from the residence of the then governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.”
“He said we had to go and move the cash urgently and I immediately called the cash officer to arrange for policemen. The policemen arrived after 30 minutes. We arranged for their payment, and called it police money. We also arranged for the cash driver and the cash movers.” he said.
“So, they set out for the assignment. After about one hour, they came back with the money and the money was counted and ascertained to be N199.5m as against N200m. While detailed counting of the money was going on, Mr. Abiodun Agbele came in with one other man, Mr Taofeek.”
“I know Mr. Abiodun Agbele to be close to the governor but I don’t know his position; he gave instructions that the money should be credited into the account of Still Earth Nigeria Limited and that the depositor was Mr. Taofeek.”
“At the point of posting, I discovered that the deposit slip was filled by my subordinate, Oputu Okeimute. I asked him why he filled the deposit slip and he said the depositor could not read or write. After that, the money was credited into the account of Still Earth.”
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He however affirmed that affirmed that delegated Adewale Aladegbola to lead the team that went to Fayose during cross-examination by Fayose’s lawyer, Mr Ola Olanipekun (SAN), Abidakun
“Aladegbola was the only one that knew the destination. I didn’t tell him the amount of money but he led the team.”
“When they came back, they didn’t tell me that they met the first defendant (Fayose).”
Hearing is set to continue on Friday.
