EFCC Witness Received $2m from Metuh for Investment

A witness has been brought forward by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the trial of the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh on Monday, January 25 claimed to have collected $2 million dollars from Olisa Metuh at his house in Prince and Princess Estate, Abuja.

According to the witness, an employee of Asset and Resource Management Company Limited, Nneka Ararume told the court how she collecetd $2 million from the PDP Spokesman, Olisa Metuh on behalf of his company, Dextra Investments.

Ararume, who is a wealth manager with ARM, stated that Metuh gave her the money and instructed her to invest it.

She said that on getting the money, she went ahead to change it using the services of two bureau de change operators she engaged.

She said, “He gave me the sum of $2m in $100 bills. It was taken to bureau de change operators who would then transfer the money to ARM. From there (Metuh’s house) I proceeded to Mr. Sie Iyenome’s office at Wuse 2 where I gave him the sum of $1m.

“I also invited Mr. Kabir Mohammed and I also gave him the sum of $1m to transfer the naira equivalent in favour of Destra Investment Limited. Later on the same day, December 2, 2014, Mr. Kabir and Mr. Sie Iyenome confirmed the receipt.”

Ararume said that she does not know how long it took Metuh to amass the money while stating that he already ran an account with ARM before she started working for the company in April 2013.

Legal Counsel to the defendant, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) had asked Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja to adjourn the case before the prosecution presented Ararume to the court.

Ikpeazu also told the judge that as Metuh has been unable to meet his bail conditions, an application for variation of the terms of the bail had been filed.

He urged the court to adjourn the case as Metuh’s inability to reach the bail terms had affected him negatively in the preparation of his defence.

The Sylvanus Tahir led prosecution’s objection to the application for adjournment was upheld by the judge.

Trial has been adjourned till for the prosecution to call more witnesses with the prosecuting counsel having 16 more witnesses at its disposal.