Justice Tijani Ringim of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, October 16, 2023 presided over the adjournment of further proceedings in the legal case involving the former Acting Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Haruna Baba Jauro, and two co-defendants. Dr. Dauda Bitrus Bawa and Thlumbau Enterprises Limited stand accused alongside Jauro in a trial initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges leveled against them encompass 19 counts related to allegations of theft and money laundering, amounting to N304,118,500 (Three Hundred and Four Million One Hundred and Eighteen Thousand Five Hundred Naira).
During the proceedings on Monday, the third prosecution witness, Orji Chukwuma, an investigator with the EFCC, disclosed his acquaintance with the defendant during his tenure as the Head of the Special Task Force 3 at EFCC, Lagos.
He elaborated on the admissibility of the defendant’s statements before Honourable Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, acknowledging the recording of his testimony, participation in a trial-within-trial, and cross-examination by Olalekan Ojo, SAN.
When questioned by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, about the admissibility of the defendant’s statements marked as exhibits Q, Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 during the trial-within-trial before Justice Olatoregun, the witness affirmed their acceptance as evidence. Oyedepo proceeded to seek the court’s permission to introduce the proceedings of the trial-within-trial before Justice Olatoregun, including the defendant’s statements made on January 28, 2016; October 12, 2015; March 17, 2016, and March 24, 2016.
In response, Ojo expressed no objection to the introduction of these statements as exhibits in the trial-within-trial. Consequently, Justice Ringim admitted and marked the statements as exhibits Twt1 to Twt5.
When asked about the defendant’s allegations that his statements were not obtained voluntarily, Orji clarified that the environment in which the statements were taken was highly conducive, taking place in a spacious conference hall open to the public. He highlighted that no arms were present, and both the defendant’s associates and his own team members were present. Orji further explained that the defendant had been duly cautioned before making the statements, as indicated by his signature and date at the beginning and end of each statement. Notably, the statement from 2015 was taken within the comfort of the defendant’s office at NIMASA.
At the prosecution counsel’s request, Orji meticulously presented the cautionary words contained in exhibits T1 to T5 and demonstrated the defendant’s acknowledgment through signature and name placement, confirming that he had been adequately cautioned. Orji emphasized that the endorsement report in each statement, containing attestations and summaries, followed the practice and corroborated that the statements were not obtained under duress and had previously been admitted before Justice Olatoregun.
Justice Ringim adjourned the trial to November 21 and 22, 2023, for its continuation.
