Witness in Badeh’s trial admits owning three properties
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, yesterday admitted that he owns landed properties across three states of the country.
Air Commodore Salisu Abdullahi Yushau, however, told Federal High Court during cross-examination by one of the defence counsel, Samuel Zibiri, that he bought some of the properties with housing loans.
He further told the Court that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has marked the property he resides at No. 8b, Danube Street, Wuse 2, for investigation.
When asked if he has other properties, he said: “I have a car park, which I purchased in 2002 when I returned from America. Then, I have my house at No. 5C, Sultan Close, Kaduna. That is where my family lives.
“It was purchased through a federal housing loan. I have two uncompleted houses in Kaduna – one is at Tafawa Balewa Way, the other one is at Ibrahim Biu Road. The proceeds from the sales of my office at Wuse, Abuja, were used to buy the two plots of land that I started developing.”
When Badeh’s counsel, Zibiri asked Yushau the value of the property at Wuse, Abuja, he said,”The time I bought the property in early 2010, it was N45 million. I sold it for N320 million in 2015.”According to him, the property was paid for through bank transfer.””Are you telling this court that these are the only properties that you declared before the EFCC? Zibiri asked.
“I also have one at Lamido Road in Kaduna,” the witness answered.”In Kano, how many properties do you have?” asked Badeh’s counsel.”It is only the one I live at Railway Quarters, Kano. I have tried to sell it for the sum of N80 million in 2015 but nobody bought it,” he answered.
At this point, Badeh’s lead counsel, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), took over the exercise, asking the witness if the defendant had bought some of the properties he was alleged to have purchased himself.”He has never bought a property by himself. He inspects the property himself before giving me money to buy it,” he said.
He also stated that Badeh did not require a written statement to instruct him to buy an item. According to him, he only carried orders from him without putting his personal opinion.
Yushau also told the court that he never asked the defendant for written instructions in respect of alleged expenditures.The witness had claimed in his previous testimony that Badeh instructed him to buy some choice properties for himself and his children in Abuja. The trial continues today.
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1 Comments
No doubt professionalism was thrown away in the fight against Boko haram on the altar of money.
We will review and take appropriate action.