Police Sp. Efejuku Deston, an operative of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on Thursday said Mr Abdullahi Mainasara impersonated Alhaji Inuwa Baba to defraud Ogotex Electrical Company Nigeria Ltd.
Baba was the former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Special Duties to former President Musa Yar’ adua.
Mr Ndifon Takon, the Prosecuting Counsel led Deston in evidence at the resumed trial of Mainasara, the fist defendant and four others at the FCT High Court Maitama.
The EFCC operative said that Mainasara in January 2011 approached the company presenting himself as Baba, former SSA, Special Duties to former President Musa Yar’ adua under the guise of supplying electrical cable to the villa.
He said that the company petitioned the EFCC on the alleged impersonation and confronted him with the petition written by the electrical company and Baba confirmed his complexity after reading the petition.
He said that Mainasara was arrested after one Ibrahim Muhammed, a co-accused and second defendant gave a clue of his whereabouts to the EFCC.
Deaton said that he told the EFCC he had to impersonate the former president aide because he was looking for what to eat.
“He confirmed that it was while looking for his daily bread that he presented himself as the Special Assistant to former president Yar’adua on Special Duty,’’ he said.
He said that Mainasara told the EFCC he had to impersonate Baba to obtain money from the nominal complainant, Ogotex Electrical Company Ltd.
The EFCC operative said that after explaining his complexity in his statement on Jan. 25, 2011, he was detained and could not be admitted to bail because of the need to execute a search warrant of his house on Jan. 26.
He said that useful items were recovered from his house, adding that after realising this, he volunteered to make additional statements.
The prosecuting counsel however pleaded for a joint trial of the four accused in order to fast track the case.
Justice Olasunbo Goodluck of the FCT High Court, Maitama, after listening to the prosecuting counsel adjourned the case to Dec. 6 and Dec. 7 for further trial.