Titi Atiku, wife of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday told an Ikeja High Court that she trusted a business partner who allegedly defrauded her of N918 million because of his status as a pastor.
“I thought that the first defendant, being a pastor, he will not defraud me. I thought that he was being genuine with me during our business dealings,” Mrs Abubakar said while being cross examined in the ongoing fraud trial against a pastor, Nsikakabasi Akpan-Jacobs, Abdulmalik Ibrahim and Dana Motors Ltd.
EFCC had slammed the accused with a 15- count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent conversion of property worth N918 million belonging to THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd.
NAN reports that THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd, a company created in 2000 belonged to Mrs Atiku, Pastor Akpan-Jacobs and Fred Holmes. She was allegedly to be the majority shareholder with 49% shares, while Holmes and Akpan-Jacobs each had 25% shares.
Mr. Akpan-Jacobs, who also doubled as the company’s MD and Secretary, was accused to have gone to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and altered the share holding in his favour and forging the company’s board resolution. .
He allegedly under the new share arrangement allotted 70% shares to himself and 15% shares each to Titi and Holmes. According to the EFCC, welding a fraudulent shareholding power, Mr. Akpan-Jacobs sold a property belonging to the company to Dana Motors Nigeria Ltd for N918m.”
Hilarious