Retired Major Gen. Emmanuel Asked Me To Pay N35m To Winners' Chapel - Witness Tells Court

A witness has narrated how a former top military officer who stole N8.5 billion from the Federal Government paid N35 million to Winners' Chapel church.  An Abuja-based businessman, Mr. Nkem Ahidjo, has revealed how a retired Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Atewe paid N35 million from the N8.5bn he allegedly stole from the Federal Government. Ahidjo revealed the N35 million was paid to the Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners’ Chapel. The man accused of stealing the money, Atewe served as the Commander of the military Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, in the Niger Delta before his retirement.

 
Atewe was last week re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for an alleged fraud of N8.5bn, which the EFCC claimed was perpetrated during the operation. He is facing 22 counts before Justice A.O. Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos. Other defendants in the case according to Punch include a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi; Kime Engozu and Josephine Otuaga.
 
They are accused of collaborating to siphon N8.5bn from Operation Pulo Shield between September 5, 2014, and May 20, 2015, using six companies. The six companies were listed as Jagan Ltd; Jagan Trading Company Ltd; Jagan Global Services Ltd; Al-Nald Ltd; Paper Warehouse Ltd; Eastpoint Integrated Services Ltd and De-Newlink Integrated Services Ltd. They had been arraigned on three occasions and had on each occasion pleaded not guilty to the offence. In a bid to prove its allegations, however, the EFCC called Ahidjo as its first witness on Friday.
 
Revealing details of how the money was shared to the companies, including Winners' chapel, Ahidjo who was led in evidence by the EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, said he carried on his trade under his five companies based in Abuja, adding that he was a registered contractor with the National Assembly, the National Population Commission, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, to which he made supplies. Explaining how he got to know abou Atewe, he said they knew each other from Villa Church in Abuja, where they both worshiped, as of when the retired general was still a Guard Commander.
 
The witness said, being a pentecostal, he also attended Living Faith Church, and Atewe also worshiped there. He said he cultivated a good relationship with Atewe, to the extent that he attended “midnight church” in Atewe’s house in Abuja, three times a week.
 
Ahidjo narrated to the court how Atewe moved to Bayelsa between July and September 2014 where he served as JTF Commander.

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“He invited me to Bayelsa and I went. He told me that the Federal Government gave JTF a grant for security and building of barracks and if I have any company into which account money could be paid. And being somebody I knew very well from Guard Commander to Major General, I provided the companies that I listed earlier,”

Ahidjo said.
 
The witness said on a second invitation and visit to Atewe in Bayelsa, Atewe told him that three payments were about to be made into his accounts and as soon as they were made he should acknowledge the payments and await further instructions. He said within two to three days of the meeting, he started to receive the payments and accordingly informed Atewe, who asked him to hold on till he (Atewe) returned to Abuja. The witness said upon Atewe’s return to Abuja, he invited him to his office at Niger Barracks in Abuja, where he introduced, Engozu, who is the 3rd defendant, as the person that would take delivery of the money from Ahidjo.
 
Ahidjo said in view of the volume of the monies, Engozu advised him to change the money from naira to dollar before delivery, and he according contacted a Bureau de Change operator, named only as Jimoh.

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“Each time I received it (money), I would call a BDC operator, named Jimoh. I knew him before this time. He would change the money, I would pay him the naira equivalent and take the dollars. Once I changed it, I would wait for instruction either from Major General Atewe or Mr. Kime. That was what we continued to do until the end of the transaction in 2015,”

Ahidjo said. He said he received a total of N4,915,163,103 within the period, out of which about N4.1bn were converted to dollars and delivered to Engozu, who in turn issued a receipt for each payment based on Atewe’s instruction.
 
Ahidjo said of the remaining amount, he was instructed by Atewe to transfer N35m to Winners’ Chapel; N103m to INP Ltd; N170m to First Investment Ltd; N99m to Lord Fem Ltd; N88m to Ocean Gas and N297m to Cisco Nobot.
 Asked by the prosecutor the purpose of the transfer to Living Faith Church, Ahidjo said,

Quote

“I don’t know what it was for; it was on the instruction of Maj. Gen. Atewe. All these monies, I don’t question what they were meant for. It is not my money, so I can’t question what it was for. Maj. Gen. Atewe asked me to act on instruction.”

Justice Faji adjourned till March 21, 2017, for Ahidjo to continue his evidence.

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Posted: at 17-02-2017 04:19 PM (7 years ago) | Hero

THATS WHY THEY ALL WANTED JONATHAN TO CONTINUE, NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS THIEVES.

Posted: at 17-02-2017 05:07 PM (7 years ago) | Upcoming

 

Posted: at 17-02-2017 05:54 PM (7 years ago) | Gistmaniac

wetin I wan talk.

Posted: at 17-02-2017 09:16 PM (7 years ago) | Gistmaniac

So funny,how many barrels of oil does nigerian produce per day? A woman who can not give birth would would give lame excuses.. So far so good,what has the present administration done with the yearly budget? Some one should point out atleast one project this administration has implemented or brought to life.. When you fall down unintentionally do you help yourself by trying to stand up,or do you keep pointing at what made you fall down without any effort to get up? If the latter be the case,then you will never stand up.. That's the reason we are here now. Buhari is a big failure. #BitterTruth.

Posted: at 18-02-2017 01:18 AM (7 years ago) | Hero

you are right

Posted: at 18-02-2017 01:35 AM (7 years ago) | Upcoming

Its unethical and comical to paint a dillapidared car without the neccessary bodywork by a panel beater.
Corruption is the root of our problems in Nigeria.Every defect we have in this country existed because corruption was left glorified in nigeria.
If buhari can solve only this problem,its good start that somebody else can have a good base.Many people expected buhari continue work without addressing the national question.We cant get to the promised land without going through the Red sea,desert and feeding  only on manna...............its just that that some want to go back to Egypt and eat the delicacies instead of the manna:that is go back to Jonathan era of 'eat and quench without future'.Exodus16;3.
Honestly the is the true identity of Nigeria as a nation and not not the 'make believe' we are used to.

Posted: at 18-02-2017 11:22 AM (7 years ago) | Upcoming

WHY DIDN'T THE POSTER POST THE FULL STORY, HE GAVE MUCH MORE MONEY TO MANY OTHER PEOPLE AND COMPANIES NOT JUST THE CHURCH !

Posted: at 19-02-2017 11:08 AM (7 years ago) | Upcoming