Uche Obilor, a lawyer and businessman has disclosed how he got N905,800 million from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) without executing any contract.
He told the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday, February 2, that three of his companies; Seabulk Offshore Limited, Southern Offshore Limited and Ace Prothesis Limited got millions from the agency without bidding for, or executing any contract, The Nation reports.
Obilor, a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of a former director-general of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi and six others, said was approached by NIMASA to provide vessels for the implementation of an ISPS Code project.
The witness explained that his firms received letters of award of contracts although they did not submit any bids and the monies were paid before they got confirmation that they had been awarded the contract.
“We were later approached that we should stay action, and that we should remit the money to certain companies and individuals,” he said.
Obilor said his companies got the following sums: Seabulk Offshore, N437million; Southern Offshore, N402million and Ace Prothesis, N66.8million.
He added that he received instructions from Captain Agaba, and that they discussed verbally.
When Agaba’s lawyer, Edoka Onyeke, showed the witness a document signed by his executive directors, Obilor denied that any of his staff signed any papers bidding for the contract or demanding payment.
Adjourning, Justice Buba adjourned the case till Friday, joking that he had to force himself to sit for the trial even though he was treating malaria.
“My temperature was very high yesterday (Monday), but I forced myself to be here so that the press will not write a bold headline that ‘judge’s absence stalled trial,” he said.
Akpobolokemi has been accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of converting N2.6billion. He is also accused of defrauding the federal government of 795.2million.
The former NIMASA boss was arraigned alongside six others on Monday, January 25, on charges bordering on fraud and forgery to the tune of N754.8 million.
The others arraigned with him were Captain Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Amechee Juan, Vincent Udoye, Captain Adegboyega Olopoenia and a company, Gama Marine Nigeria Ltd.
Source- The NATION
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