Chukwuma said though the money was requested by a former Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, in 2013 for the implementation of the International Ship and Port Security facility in NIMASA (to carry out security checks on vessels entering Nigeria) 89 per cent of the fund was diverted.
According to Chukwuma, Jonathan approved the N1,123,400,000 on November 4, 2013 and it was released to NIMASA through a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on January 3, 2014.
But he said the money was siphoned through six companies and by N3m cash transactions at 15 different times.
Chukwuma said this on Monday when he appeared as a prosecution witness before a Federal High Court in Lagos where Akpobolokemi and five others were standing trial for allegedly defrauding NIMASA to the tune of N2.6bn between March and June 2014.
Akpobolokemi was arraigned along with Ezekiel Agaba, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Juan, Blockz and Stonz Ltd. and Al-Kenzo Logistics Ltd. before Justice Ibrahim Buba on December 4, 2015.
But the defendants pleaded not guilty to the offence.
Chukwuma was the 12th witness called by the EFCC in its bid to prove the allegations.
He was led in evidence on Monday by an EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo.
The investigator, who said he was a member of the EFCC Special Task Force, said the anti-graft agency moved to probe NIMASA upon receiving an intelligence report that a “monumental fraud” was perpetrated in the agency by the accused persons.
He said the background checks carried out by the EFCC revealed that Akpobolokemi was a lecturer at the Delta State University prior to his appointment as the Director-General of NIMASA.
According to the witness, Akpobolokemi was the one who set up the ISPS Committee and made the 2nd defendant, Agaba, who was a former employee of Mobil and then an Executive Director in NIMASA, the chairman.
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