By Imisioluwa Afunmiso
A defence witness in the ongoing trial of former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, on Tuesday admitted signing a statement attributed to the defendant.
The witness, Haruna Alabi, made the admission during cross-examination before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
Idris is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Geoffrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited on a 14-count charge bordering on the alleged diversion of public funds amounting to N109.5 billion.
Alabi, who appeared as the second defence witness, told the court that he signed the statement dated May 17, 2022, during a visit to the EFCC office where the former AGF was in custody.
Led in cross-examination by prosecution counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, the witness said he visited Idris in the company of other directors from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
“He was in the custody of the EFCC. Other directors and I visited him,” Alabi told the court, adding that he was the only lawyer among the visitors.
He admitted appending his signature at the back of the statement but clarified that he neither wrote nor signed any other part of the document.
However, under further questioning, the witness stated that he was not present when the statement was taken and could not confirm whether Idris personally made it.
When confronted with a portion of the document indicating that the statement was made voluntarily, Alabi maintained that he did not lie, insisting he only signed the document without witnessing its recording.
The development arose during a trial-within-trial initiated by the defence, challenging the admissibility of the defendant’s statements because they were allegedly obtained through inducement and deception.
Earlier, in his evidence-in-chief led by defence counsel Kanayo Okafor, Alabi had identified his signature on Exhibit B3, the May 17, 2022 statement.
Justice Halilu subsequently adjourned the matter to June 24, 2026, for continuation of proceedings and directed the defence to ensure the presence of its remaining witnesses.
The case forms part of ongoing efforts by the EFCC to prosecute alleged high-profile financial crimes involving public funds.