From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, how an aide to former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (retd), Col. Nicholas Ashinze, used five different companies to defraud the Federal Government of over N6.8 billion
EFCC  made the revelations through its witness, Hassan Saidu, who is an investigator with the anti-graft agency.
Ashinze, alongside an Australian Wolfgang Reinl, Barrister Edidion Idiong, and Sagir Mohammed were, on November 23, 2016 arraigned by the EFCC on a 13-count charge bordering on corruption and money laundering.
They were accused of using five companies to illegally divert N6.8 billion from Dasuki’s office. The companies are Geonel .Integrated Services Ltd, Unity Continental Nigeria Ltd, Helpline Organisation, Vibrant Resources Ltd and Sologic Integrated Services Ltd.
Saidu, who was led by the prosecution counsel Offen Uket,  told trial  Justice Gabriel Kolawole that the money was released from the ONSA accounts domiciled in the CBN to the companies.
From the search warrant which the defendants had vehemently opposed but was later admitted in evidence by the court, the prosecution witness said EFCC’s investigation team made some recoveries. “Items recovered were one black diary, one blue notebook, one page of unsigned document written in red ink dated April 17, 2014. From the information, we found out that N3.125 billion was transferred to Geonel Integrated Services’ account. We discovered that Unity Continental got N120 million from ONSA account in CBN on April 22, 2014.
“On the same day, N550 million was transferred to Law Partners and Associates account on April 22, 2014.  Another N500 million was transferred from Geonel account on April 24…”
The witness said N100 million was transferred to Vibrant Resources Ltd on April 23, 2014, while on the same day, Sologic Integrated got N120 million from Geonel’s account.
According to the prosecution witness, Law Partners and Associates also received another payment which was not captured in exhibit 2c, to the tune of N450 million on May 5, 2014.
However, the defendants objected to admissibility of Ashinze’s statement and asked court not to admit it in evidence.
Ruling on admissibility or otherwise of Ashinze’s statement and continuation of examination have slated for March 21.