N1.6B Alleged Fraud: EFCC Tortured Me Till I Implicated Ex- President Jonathan – Dudafa

A former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa on Monday told a Federal High Court in Lagos that he was “tormented” by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in order to get him to implicate the former president.

Dudafa who was testifying before Justice Muhammed Idris in a trial-within-trial claimed that the statement he made to the EFCC was under duress.

He alleged that he developed a spinal cord ailment while in the custody of the EFCC, adding that he was denied adequate medical treatment.

“The ailment I have today is a spinal cord dislocation. It was within that period of torture and agony that my spinal cord got dislocated due to sitting down from morning till night,” Dudafa said.

The anti-graft commission had arraigned the former Special Assistant to Jonathan on domestic affairs,alongside one Iwejuo Joseph Nna alias Taiwo A. Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah before the court on 23-counts of conspiracy and concealment of crime proceeds.

They were accused of conspiring to conceal proceeds of crime amounting to over N1.6billion.

In his testimony before the court, he also alleged that he was forced to write all the statements he wrote, and was induced to sign in exchange for his freedom.

According to Dudafa, he was kept in detention until April 27 before he was taken to EFCC’s office on Awolowo Road, Lagos for interrogation where he made four statements, including an asset declaration form which he described as “sham”.

“They asked me questions about Goodluck Jonathan. In my statements at the time, I stated that every function I discharged was official because I acted based on instruction,” the former presidential aide said.

Dudafa also said that a video shown in court of where he attested to the statements was doctored.

But an operative of EFCC, Akeem Lasisi, said Dudafa made his statement voluntarily and was not forced

During the cross examination by EFCC’s prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, Dudafa admitted that he was cautioned before making the statements.