By Mustapha Hodio
An operative of the State Security Service, SSS, on Tuesday told a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Maitama that President Muhammadu Buhari had once given the sum of N500,000 to embattled Justice Adeniyi Ademola.
The witness, Babatunde Adepoju, was testifying as witness in the corruption trial of Mr. Ademola on Tuesday.
Although the witness said he did not consider the offer as bribe, he said the money was given through the president’s former lawyer, Kola Awodeyin.
“The lawyer gave Justice Admola N500,000. In my opinion, it will be speculative to say the gift by the President Buhari’s lawyer was a bribe to Justice Ademola,” the security operative said.
A suit was filed in the build-up to the 2015 general election challenging Mr. Buhari’s, alleging the president had no secondary school certificate as required by law.
The president’s secondary school certificate because an issue in the campaign as the then candidate was forced to present a statement of result of his West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE.
During the May 26, 2016, hearing of the case, Mr Buhari had raised an objection to the suit, challenging the mode of service of the originating summons on him.
However, Justice Ademola, in his ruling, had held that it was incompetent and upheld the service of the originating court processes on Buhari.
Mr Ademola held that the service of the court’s processes on the president through the secretariat of the party was in order, saying the service would still reach to candidate Buhari.
Dissatisfied with this ruling, Buhari through his legal team filed a notice of appeal at the court of appeal, Abuja judicial division on seven grounds of appeal.
Buhari had hired 13 SANs, and other counsel including Wole Olanipekun, Lateef Fagbemi, Akin Olujinmi, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Kola Awodein, Taiwo Osipitan, Charles Edosomwan, Emeka Ngige, Femi Atoyebi, Femi Falana, Funke Aboyade, H.O. Afolabi, and Muiz Banire.
