Alex Badeh, former Chief of Air Staff, has been accused of diverting the sum of $900,000 from the Nigerian Air Force into his personal account, between January and December 2013.
An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abubakar Madaki, made the disclosure while testifying as the 18th prosecution witness at an Abuja Federal High Court.
Badeh, alongside his company, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited are standing trial on a 10 counts of money laundering bordering on alleged fraudulent removal of about N3.97bn from NAF’s account.
Led by the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, Madaki alleged that the sum of $900,000, was deposited in Badeh’s accounts with First Bank between 2012 and 2013.
Madaki disclosed that his team, which was investigating the alleged diversion of funds by the ex-Chief of Staff, “discovered that the first defendant (Badeh) and his wife had earlier incorporated a company Iyalikam Nigeria Limited” in whose accounts they allegedly diverted NAF’s funds.
The EFCC investigator informed the court that the sum of N558.2m was being removed from NAF’s account and set aside for Badeh on a monthly basis.
According to Madaki, the sum of $900,000 was part of a cumulative sum of money Badeh began to divert from the account of NAF shortly after becoming the Chief of Air Staff.
“A total of $900,000 between November 2012 and October or November 2013 was found deposited in the account. The money is believed to be part of funds we are investigating.
“The first defendant was the Chief of Air Staff and subsequently the Chief of Defence of Staff.
“Funds from the Nigerian Air Force were being diverted to the second defendant (Iyalikam).
“We also discovered that N558,200, 000 was being set aside for the first defendant from the NAF account every month.
“Part of the funds was exchanged into dollars and handed over to the first defendant.
“Some fractions of the funds were being distributed as directed by the first defendant.
“The major part of the funds was exchanged into dollars and was used to acquire choice properties in Abuja by the director of finance, Salisu Yishau.
“The part of the funds was moved to Right Builders owned by PW4, Mustapha Yerima,” he alleged.
