Clergyman Confessed Voluntarily to Defrauding Titi Atiku, Witness Tells Court

A retired detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Dickson Graymond, on Tuesday told an Ikeja High Court that a clergyman Nsikakabasi Akpan-Jacobs had confessed voluntarily to defrauding the wife of former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku, Titi of N918 million.

Graymond disclosed this at the resumed trial of a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent conversion of property worth N918 million belonging to THA Shipping Maritime Services Limited preferred against Akpan-Jacobs and others by the EFCC.

The EFCC had charged Akpan-Jacobs, Abdulmalik Ibrahim, a lawyer; and Dana Motors Limited with a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent conversion of property worth N918 million belonging to THA Shipping Maritime Services Limited.

THA Shipping, a company created in 2000, is owned by Titi Atiku; Akpan-Jacobs, and Fred Holmes, her German business partner.

According to the EFCC, welding a fraudulent shareholding power, Akpan-Jacobs also sold a property belonging to the company to Dana Motors Nigeria Limited for N918 million.

At yesterday's proceedings, the witness, who was led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Mr. Babatunde Sonoiki, during a trial-within-trial investigating the voluntariness of Akpan-Jacob's alleged confessional statement to the anti-graft agency, said: “There are so many things that he confided in me that he refused to put into writing.

“He admitted to me that Florence Doregos was Titi Atiku but he refused to put that into writing.

“He confided to me that he wanted to contest in the Akwa-Ibom State elections and that as soon as he begs Mrs. Atiku, the matter will be over.

“All what he told me were not forced, I did not even force him to write all what he confided in me in his confessional statement. All what he said in his statement was of his own free will.”

During his cross-examination by Mr. Amos Ibe, Akpan-Jacob's defence counsel, the retired detective denied illegally detaining the cleric in EFCC custody for three weeks and denying him access to legal representation.

“The first defendant (Akpan-Jacobs) was served with bail conditions by the EFCC but he could not provide sureties and we could not grant him bail on self recognisance because of the gravity of the case against him.

“He did not spend three weeks with us but six days and he was given the opportunity to produce a lawyer but he refused saying he will write his statement on his own.

“Dapo and Chima (EFCC operatives) did not force him to write any undertaking,” he said.

Graymond also denied bringing Akpan-Jacobs to the Abuja office of the EFCC on the influence of Titi Atiku.

Earlier during proceedings, Ibe had objected to the tendering of statements Akpan-Jacobs had made at the EFCC offices dated February. 6, 12, and 13, 2009, March 4 and 5, 2009 and April 2, 2009, on the grounds that they were not given voluntarily.

Following Ibe's objection, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye in a ruling ordered that a trial-within-trial should commence.

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye adjourned the case till October 25 for the continuation of the trial-within-trial.