The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday denied inducing a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Ms Jumoke Akinjide, to make statements.

The former minister and her co-accused told the Federal High Court in Lagos that their statements to EFCC were not made voluntarily.

The accused persons claimed they were threatened with incarceration.

Akinjide disowned five extrajudicial statements which she allegedly made.


The other defendants – a former Senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Ayo Adeseun, and a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader in Oyo State, Chief Olarenwaju Otiti – made similar claims.

Akinjide’s lawyer, Mr. Olusegun Williams, opposed moves by EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, to tender the statements in evidence on the basis that they were obtained under duress.

He urged the court to order a trial-within-trial to determine if the statements were made voluntarily.

Other defence counsel, Mr. Michael Lana and Akinola Oladeji, also claimed that their clients’ statements were not made voluntarily.

Oladeji said: “The third defendant also made statements to the EFCC and we shall be contending that the statements were made under inducement and subsequently threat of incarceration.”

After Justice Muslim Hassan ordered a trial-within-trial, Oyedepo called his first witness, the leader of its Special Task Force 4, Usman Zakari, as a witness.


Zakari said: “I’m surprised. The first defendant (Akinjide), when she reported to our office, came along with Barrister Olusegun Williams and her husband. I was the one that interviewed her.

“During the course of the interview, the payment receipt of the N650million, which the defendant signed, was shown to her and she volunteered to react in writing regarding the payment receipt. There and then, I instructed my subordinate, Tosin Owobo, to caution her. And he read the cautionary words to her, which she understood.”

Zakari said Akinjide signed the statements, following which Williams also signed to indicate that they were made before him.

The investigator said Akinjide was granted administrative bail with her husband standing as the surety.

http://www.akelicious.net/2018/04/akinjides-statements-were-voluntary-efcc.html