By Romanus Okoye
The trial of a self-styled herbalist, Alfa Jamiu Isiaka, resumed on December 15, 2020 with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recalling its star witness, Dare Folarin. The suspect allegedly impersonated the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, and a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, to defraud a South Korean, Keun Sig Kim, to the tune of N30million.
Isiaka, 31, while parading as senior government official, deceived the foreigner to collect various sums of money to the tune of N30 million under the pretext of securing for him an NNPC approval/ marketing form and license certificate to buy crude oil in Nigeria.
In the course of interrogation, Isiaka claimed that he used the money to conduct sacrifice for the petitioner. According to him, part of the money was used to buy vulture, elephant skin, elephant intestine, skull of a lion and liver of gorilla.
The Ilorin zonal office of the EFCC had on June 14, 2019 arraigned Isiaka on a four-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, impersonation and forgery of documents before Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
The court, however, turned down his bail application and ordered his remand at the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Mandala.
Justice Abdulgafar adjourned until January 21, 2021 for the defendant to open its defence.
