Salisu Abdullahi, a former accounts and finance director in the Nigerian Airforce has told the court how former Chief of Defence, misappropriated hundreds of millions of Naira meant for salaries on a monthly basis.
Abdullahi was presented as a witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in prosecution of its case before the High Court in Abuja.
In his testimony, the witness also told the court he rejected N120 million earmarked for his office and turned it over to Badeh
According to TheCable, Salisu said the monthly salary for the Airforce at the time was N4 billion with N558 million earmarked for the general administration of the chief of staff’s office monthly.
“We receive about N4bn monthly for the payment of salaries. Our total wage bill, when I was finance director, was above N2bn. The balance of the money for personnel emolument was about N1.7bn. The sum of N558m was earmarked for the general administration of the chief of staff’s office monthly. The balance is proposed for disbursement to the units. In most cases the chief of air staff directs that the amount be exchange into US dollars and taken to the headquarters Nigeria air force camp.
“When this money is exchanged it is brought to me, and I take this money to the chief air staff at home- his official residence at Niger Barracks. As military officers we don’t request for any acknowledgment. In some cases, I do tell the finance officer to meet me at air house at Niger barracks with the money so that he can see when I hand over the money to the chief of air staff. The instruction to convert the money to dollar was not in writing. The chief of air gives many instructions that are not in writing. The instructions in writing are those requests forwarded to his office from the branches. When I came I met N120m earmarked for the office of the director of finance. It was part of the balance of personal emolument released monthly. But I rejected it. I asked that the money place under the control of the chief of staff for tours and visits, and other sundry issues.”he said
The witness told the court he did this monthly for 39 months between 2010 and 2013, bringing the total sum of money allegedly stolen by Badeh from this transaction alone to N21.8 billion.
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