The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, September 26, 2019, presented its first witness against Isaac Fayose, who is standing trial for advance fee fraud before Justice Binta Muhammad of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Lugbe.
At the resumed trial today, the prosecution counsel, Jude Obozuwa, presented Joe Onyiuke as witness. He told the court that he met Isaac Fayose sometime in 2009 and that he later visited him visited in his office and told him about a project he was about to start.
. “Then I was working on classified assets as regional head. He took me to a property and told me it was given to him by his mother-in-law. It was a one storey building. He wanted to use it to fund a lounge or a restaurant,” Onyiuke said.
According to the witness, the property is located along Alex Ekwueme Road, opposite Jabi Lake, Abuja and hosts two churches, one, located upstairs and the other downstairs.
. “The church upstairs was moving out when we visited. He said the church downstairs belonged to his personal friend and that he would allow him to stay there temporarily. He told me it was a serious business that he wanted us to do and we had to enter into agreement for the project. .
“I released several amounts of money to him through one Samuel Ogala. But considering how far we have gone in the deal, I asked him about his own contribution. He gave me bogus figures and we agreed to appoint a quantity surveyor at that point and he came back and told me that he was no longer interested in the agreement,” the witness said.
Onyiuke told the court that there were evidences of the signed agreement between them adding that the first agreement was a joint venture agreement.