While being led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, the witness, Bamidele Safiriyu narrated how the defendant defrauded him in a well-calculated fraud scheme to the tune of N266,500,000.
Safiriyu, who describes himself as a businessman, claimed that he registered two companies, Kodef Clearing Resources Limited in April 2008 and De-Rock Maritime Resource in July 2013 both for “the clearing purposes”.
He identified the defendant in the dock and told the Court that on a Friday, sometime in April 2017, one of his trucks that he loaded going to a customer’s cold room, hit the defendant’s Honda Accord.
The testified that “he detained the truck because he moves in a convoy of soldiers.
“On Saturday the following day, I got a call from my client that some soldiers have hijacked the container.
“I became troubled because it has never happened before, and that Saturday, I was to travel out, and so I was just praying because I didn’t know what to do.”
“Later in the day, I received a call from this young man, and he introduced himself as General Abiodun Bolarinwa, a General in the Nigerian Army and a son of Baba Olusegun Obasanjo, former President.
“He told me in that conversation that my truck was with him that the truck bashed his car, and his boys brought it to where he stays at Abule-Egba.
“Later my team also met with him and they got the issue resolved after spending about N200,000,” he claimed.
The witness further alleged that the defendant once came to his office in a convoy of military personnel with a banner of former President Obasanjo adorning one of the vehicles.
He said, “He came with a convoy and they were shooting in the air and everywhere was scattered.
“Later he sent me a message that he is going to be made the military assistant to the president at Aso Rock.
“He sent me the letter and he said he would need some assistance, claiming that in the Army you are going to provide everything you need.
“Later he said he was vying for the Chief of Army Staff, COAS that he has been nominated by the President and that he needs money to press and process the appointment.
“I was reluctant at first and started asking myself question if he wants to become Army Chief and he claims to be Baba Obasanjo’s son, as a former president will he not just need a call from him to press anything.
“So I asked him, you said you’re Baba’s son, why can’t he take care of this.
“He replied and said you know that Baba doesn’t want to do that, because of the polygamous home and so he doesn’t want to be seen as the one financing him.”
“In 2013 a message came into my phone saying ‘I, President Obasanjo’. Then a few minutes later, he called me and said ‘Baba has been trying to reach you, but that I was not picking up his call.
“I checked my phone, I saw only a text, no missed call, and I told him; he said that Obasanjo has been trying to reach me to thank me for all I have been doing for him.
“Then later a number called me and it showed the name ‘Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR’ As the caller, and I picked up the call, it was exactly Baba’s voice and he said to me to help my brother financially to become COAS that he will repay me.
“So I said, ok, sir; and that was how at various times he kept requesting money.
“He said he needed money to travel to go and meet Emirs to make his intention known, that he has been nominated to become the next COAS.
“Any time he needs money, he will use the number, sometimes he asks for N5million, N6million.”
“I did not know that he was not even in the Army and never even passed through the Army, this I got to know much later,” he said.
The defendant also told the Court that the defendant posing as Obasanjo’s son even invited him to Obasanjo’s birthday in 2020.
He stated that he was able to later get an audience with Obasanjo who denied that the defendant was his son.
Thereafter, he petitioned the EFCC, when he realised belatedly that he had been duped of almost N300 million.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo has adjourned the case until April 29 for “cross-examination”.
