Ahmed Idris, the former Accountant General of the Federation, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of deceptive tactics, claiming he was misled into admitting allegations against him. During the court proceedings on Thursday, Idris stated that the EFCC assured him they wanted to use his cooperation to target the Minister of Finance and some governors.
Idris and his co-defendants, Godfrey Akindele and Mohammed Usman, along with the firm Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited, are facing trial on 14 charges of criminal breach of trust and stealing totaling N109.5 billion.
A prosecution witness, Hayatudeen Ahmed, read a statement dated May 16, 2022, purportedly written by Idris, where he asserted that the EFCC promised him that any information he provided would not be used against him.
Idris’ lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), argued that his client was deceived into making statements under the assurance that he would not be prosecuted, and the main targets were the Minister of Finance and certain governors.
However, the prosecution witness refuted these claims, stating there were no such assurances from the EFCC. The witness emphasized that Idris willingly made statements on various dates in May and June 2022.
The EFCC sought to tender a video clip as evidence, showing the recorded interview of the defendants at the Commission’s Monitoring Unit Chairman’s office. Despite objections from the defense, Justice Yusuf Halilu ruled in favor of admitting the video clip as evidence.
The court adjourned further hearing in the matter until March 20.