Court Adjourns Hearing On Ex-Minister’s Claim Of EFCC Duress To May 2

A Federal High Court in Abuja has shifted to May 2 the hearing in the allegation by former Minister of Power under President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, Saleh Mamman, that his statement tendered to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the alleged corruption trial was obtained under duress.

Mamman is facing a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit money laundering worth N33.8 billion preferred against him by the EFCC before Justice James Omotosho had ordered a trial-within-trial to ascertain the authenticity of the statement made by Mamman to the EFCC.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, the EFCC had played back video evidence of its statement-taking room during Mamman’s invitation to the office of the anti-corruption agency.

Although there was no picture of torture or harassment against Mamman, the clip showed that he appeared dull and unable to write most of the statement, as he informed the officers that he had a surgery and came with a medical report.

Counsel for the EFCC, M.O. Mohammed, asked the EFCC investigator, Abubakar Kwaido, whether he read the statement of caution to Mamman, and he confirmed he had read the words before the video recording and statement taking.

Recall that the lead prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), had in a previous hearing, asked Kwaido whether he harassed Mamman, and he said, “There was at no point I harassed or intimidated him with detention.”