How I shared N400 million received from Dasuki – TheNigerialawyer

A former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic
Party, Olisa Metuh, has told an Abuja Division of the Federal High
Court how he distributed the N400 million he received from the
Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA, in 2014.

Mr Metuh’s statement on Friday while serving as a witness in his
trial was sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the spokesperson of the
anti-graft agency, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren.

Recall in April, how Mr Metuh told the court that the N400
million he is accused of collecting from the federal government was
spent on “special national assignment.”

The former PDP spokesperson is being prosecuted by the EFCC,
alongside his company, Destra Investment, on a seven-count charge,
for alleged diversion of the money received when Sambo Dasuki was
the National Security Adviser.

Mr Metuh who is the defence team’s 15th witness, under
cross-examination by the prosecution counsel, told the court that
there was never an instance where former President Goodluck
Jonathan directly paid any money to him.

According to the statement, Mr Metuh restated that the payment
of N400 million was for a national assignment as directed by the
then-president.

Upon being shown the statement of his account which had N6.6
million before an inflow of N400 million into it on November 24,
2014, he said there was an outflow of N7.5 million from the amount
through a cheque to a company, CNC Connect, on December 2, 2014,
another payment of N21.7 million to late Tony Anenih and N50
million to Kanayo/Olisah Metuh which is a joint account on December
4, 2014.

He disclosed that there was another outflow of N31.5 million to
Richard Ehidioha as well as two separate payments of N200 million
and N300 million to Daniel Ford International, also on December 4,
2014.

He said there was also payment of N70 million to CNC Connect on
December 15, 2014; N25 million to Abba Dabo on December 16, 2014;
and N5 million to Kema Chikwe.

He told the court that a final report he submitted to the then
president had all the expenditures of the N400 million captured in
receipts and signatures for all payment of monies in cash and
through several accounts for the special assignment.

He noted that he had about 19 accounts of which more than five
are in Diamond Bank.

The former PDP spokesperson also told the court that he made an
investment of $2 million dollars in cash in ARM, through an ARM
staff, Nneka Ararume.

When asked if the equivalent of the $2 million was then paid in
naira into Dextra’s account, the embattled PDP chieftain said, “We
led evidence to show that the $2 million was paid by me to ARM and
the prosecution had led evidence to show that Nneka Ararume paid
monies to bureau de change which now transferred the monies into my
account.”

He said he did not have any dealings with the bureau de change,
recalling that Ms Ararume told the court that she got his account
details from his record with ARM and gave it to the bureau de
change.

The prosecutor further asked if the non-payment of $2 million
dollars into his account was to conceal the origin of the money, Mr
Metuh said the non-payment of the sum into his account was the
failure of his account officer to execute a lawful and legal
directive.

Justice Abang adjourned the matter to September 30, 2019, for
the continuation of trial.

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