The former Accountant General of the Federation (AG-F), Ahmed Idris, has expressed surprise at facing trial for an alleged N109 billion fraud, stating that he initially believed he would not be prosecuted. Idris cooperated with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigators, providing them with information to aid their probe, under the impression that he would not face prosecution.
In one of the 13 extra-judicial statements submitted before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where he is being tried with others, Idris stated, "All along, I have cooperated with the EFCC officials and have volunteered information to demonstrate my commitment to make the investigation easier and speedier."
Idris's lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), objected to the admissibility of the statements, alleging that investigators misled his client into making admissions. The EFCC is prosecuting Idris; his former Technical Assistant, Godfrey Olusegun Akindele; a director in the Office of the AG-F, Mohammed Kudu Usman; and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited (said to belong to Idris) on a 14-count charge bordering on stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109 billion.
During the ongoing trial-within-trial to determine whether Idris offered the statements voluntarily, Uche insisted that the investigators assured his client he would not be prosecuted. However, one of the investigators, Mahmoud Tukur, denied making such a promise. Tukur, the immediate past Head of Chairman Monitoring Unit (CMU) II of the EFCC, testified as the second prosecution’s witness, stating, “We did not promise him (Idris) anything.”
Another EFCC operative, Hayatudeen Suleiman, also denied making such a promise to Idris during his testimony as the prosecution’s first witness in the trial-within-trial.
