Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, reserved ruling on the admissibility of statements made by the former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, following a trial-within-a-trial.
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 stealing and the fraudulent diversion of public funds amounting to ₦109.5 billion.
The trial-within-a-trial was ordered by the court on November 22, 2022, following an application by counsel to the first defendant, Chris Uche, SAN, who alleged that his client’s statements to the EFCC were obtained through deception and inducement.
In adopting the defence’s final written address, counsel to the first defendant argued that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and urged the court to reject the prosecution’s documentary and video evidence presented before it.
In response, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution had filed a written address dated October 9, 2026, which he adopted, urging the court to admit the statements.
He argued that the prosecution had discharged the burden of proving that the first defendant made the statements voluntarily, adding that three witnesses testified in support of the prosecution’s case and that their evidence was not contradicted during cross-examination.
“My Lord, we filed a written address dated and filed on October 9, 2026. We adopted the said written address and urge your Lordship to admit the statements sought to be tendered. They are 14 different statements made on 13 different days.
“My Lord, we have fully discharged the burden to show that the statements were made voluntarily. We called three witnesses who witnessed the taking and the writing of the statements, and their evidence was not contradicted under cross-examination. And we have shown prima facie that the statements were obtained voluntarily,” he said.
Expressing concern over delays in the proceedings, Jacobs said, “We are taking a lot of time over this matter, and it is giving me serious concern because this is a 2022 case and we are still at PW1. Then your Lordship gives us direction to file a written address in 21 days. Since June 2026, the first defendant did not file; more than three months passed before he filed, and he did not even say anything about it.”
Justice Halilu deferred his ruling on the admissibility of the defendant’s statements to a date to be communicated to both parties.
