The wife of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Titi Abubakar, has revealed how she was defrauded of N918 million by a church Pastor who was also a business partner she trusted.. She told an Ikeja High court on Tuesday; “I thought that the first defendant, being a pastor, will not defraud me,” “I thought that he was being genuine with me during our business dealings,” she said while being cross-examined in the ongoing fraud trial against Nsikakabasi Akpan-Jacobs, a pastor, Abdulmalik Ibrahim and Dana Motors Ltd.
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (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.
While cross-examining Atiku’s wife, Amos Ibe, counsel to Akpan-Jacobs, questioned why she used different monikers in company documents relating to the fraud.
“Before I start cross-examining you Ma, should I refer to you as Your Excellency?” he asked.
“Why was the name Florence Doregos used in the petition from the EFCC which is exhibit one, as well as other fake names in documents you used to transact business with the first defendant?”
Replying, Abubakar said:
“I am Her Excellency forever. It was under my instruction and direction that the petition was written.
“My name is Florence Doregos, my name is Titi Amina Atiku Abubakar, the Mrs in the petition is a mistake made by my lawyer.
“Florence is my name and it was easy for me to use Doregos while I was in state service.
“The name of my biological father is Dorego Albert, we are from Ilesha but I have cousins who are from the Republic of Benin.
“I can choose Doregos, I can choose Albert as my surname, they are all my names, even Dino Melaye, his name is Daniel but he calls himself Dino.
“I can twist my name anyhow I want.”
Responding to Ibe’s questions about her identity when she married the former vice-president, she said “I married my husband at the Ikoyi Registry in 1971.
“I was a Christian before I married my husband, Angelina is my baptismal name, Florence is my confirmation name.
“When I got married to my husband, I converted to Islam and I have been called Amina Titilayo, Titilayo was what I was called at home.”
Ibe, however, still questioning her real identity, told her that a book written in honour of her husband titled ‘Atiku: The Story of Atiku Abubakar,’ claimed that she was from a local government area in Adamawa.
“I am from my husband’s local government area by virtue of marriage,” she said.
“Whether I’m from the moon o, that’s not the matter on ground.”
Ibe, sought to tender the book written in honour of the former vice-president to the court but it was rejected by Oluwatoyin Ipaye, the judge.
“The document does not fall under the definition of a public document under the Evidence Act, it is a private document, it is therefore rejected,” Ipaye said.
THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd, a company created in 2000 belonged to Abubakar, Akpan-Jacobs and Fred Holmes.
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