How Jonathan’s govt sealed verbal prayer contract for N2.2bn

A former Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Aminu Baba-Kusa made this revelation, in his statement of witness filed in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday.

Baba-Kusa who is facing trial with a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) and three others, stated that the special prayers for the defeat of the terrorist group, took place in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

The others on trial are Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited (owned by Baba-Kusa) and a former Director of Finance in ONSA, Shuaibu Salisu.

He said that the cash, disbursed in two tranches of N1,450,000,000 and N750,000,000, came through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), following a proposal he (Baba-Kusa) made.

According to him, the contract proposal and approval were verbal, as there were no documentations made. “The proposal made to the former NSA was not documented by him or myself. The verbal proposal to him was for prayers to overcome Boko Haram within the shortest possible time.

“The engagement for prayers by organising some people to be praying was not formally written down.

“There was no amount of money agreed on. I said to him, I will start organising, which he agreed and said he will see what he would give at a later time.”

He however promised to refund the N2.2billion by disposing of his assets.

Read also: Finally, Badeh secures bail, at N2bn

His narrative: “I approached the former NSA and discussed Boko Haram problems and I suggested there is need for prayers and he considered and accepted in 2013 when he first came to office.

“I personally sponsored many people locally and some few to Saudi Arabia. Some monies were later paid into our companies, which we paid to some of the mallams.

“I then arranged to recover my personal expense which I put into our own businesses.”

The suspect who said that he grew up with the former NSA in Zaria, further said, “Most of the payments in cash were meant to give out cash to people that have been organising prayers.”

But, according to him, he kept no records of the money he gave to individual Mallams organising various groups, nor requested for acknowledgement from them when he gave money to them.

In the 19 charges against the five suspects, Baba-Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited are alleged to have “between October 2014 and April 2015 in Abuja agreed to do an illegal act to wit: dishonestly receiving property to wit: an aggregate sum of N2,200,000,000 being part of the funds in the accounts of the Office of  National Security Adviser and  that the same act was fine in pursuance of the agreement among you and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4, LFN 2004.”

 

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