A defence witness in the ongoing trial of former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that he signed a statement attributed to the defendant during his time in EFCC custody.
Idris is standing trial alongside three others over allegations bordering on the alleged diversion and theft of about ₦109.5 billion in public funds. The case is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
During proceedings on Tuesday, the second defence witness, Haruna Alabi, testified under cross-examination that he personally signed the statement dated May 17, 2022, attributed to Idris.
Alabi told the court that he visited the EFCC office on that date alongside other senior officials from the Office of the Accountant-General to see Idris, who was then in custody.
He said, “He was in the custody of the EFCC. Myself and other directors visited him at the EFCC.”
The witness further explained that he was the only lawyer among those who visited the former Accountant-General and confirmed that he signed at the back of the statement in question.
However, he admitted that he was not invited by the EFCC and had no prior dealings with the investigators before the visit.
Under further questioning, Alabi said he only appended his signature to the document and did not participate in writing or endorsing its contents. He also said he could not confirm whether Idris personally made the statement he signed.
When confronted with a portion of the document stating that the statement was made voluntarily, Alabi insisted he did not lie, stressing that he was not present when the statement was taken.
Earlier in his testimony, he had identified his signature and name on the document presented as evidence before the court.
The court, presided over by Justice Yusuf Halilu, adjourned the matter to June 24, 2026, for continuation of the trial-within-trial and ordered that all remaining defence witnesses be present on the next hearing date.
