Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday adjourned proceedings in the trial-within-trial involving a former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, until October 13, 2026, for the adoption of final written addresses.
Idris is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alongside Geoffrey Olusegun Akindele, Mohammed Kudu Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited, on a 14-count charge bordering on the alleged stealing and fraudulent diversion of public funds amounting to N109.5 billion.
The court had ordered a trial-within-trial on November 22, 2022, following an application by counsel to the first defendant, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), who challenged the admissibility of statements made by his client to the EFCC, alleging that they were obtained through deception and inducement.
At the resumed hearing, Uche informed the court that the defence was presenting a witness as part of its case.
The defence called Hajiya Safiya Idris, who told the court that she had a long-standing family relationship with the former Accountant-General and regarded him “like a father.”
Testifying before the court, Safiya recounted visiting the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on June 6, 2022, to see Idris while he was in custody. She said she was initially informed that he was not in the detention facility but in the main building and was later allowed into an office after waiting for some time.
According to her, two EFCC officers identified as Hayatu and Mahmud asked her to sign as a witness
