Inaccessible Exhibits Stall EFCC Case Against Sunday Etukodoh
By Peter Azi – Jos
A mild drama occurred at the Federal High Court in Jos on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, when counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Joshua Saidi, could not access some exhibits required to cross-examine a defence witness in the case against Sunday Etukodoh and Henry Oyibo.
The matter came up for the continuation of the defence.
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Following the examination-in-chief of Defence Witness 3 (DW3) by counsel to the first defendant, Solomon Umoh, SAN, the prosecuting counsel, Joshua Saidi took his turn to cross-examine the witness. He, however, requested Exhibit P8, which had earlier been tendered by the Registrar of the institution.
Initially, the court clerk informed the court that the original copies of the exhibits had been transmitted to the Court of Appeal, while the photocopies were believed to be with the Appeal Section of the Federal High Court.
The matter was subsequently stood down for 30 minutes to enable the court registry to locate the documents. However, upon resumption, the exhibits could not be found.
The court consequently directed the registry to write to the Court of Appeal for the release of the exhibits.
Earlier, counsel to the EFCC, JoshuaSaidi, informed the court that although the matter was slated for the continuation of defence, the prosecution had filed an amendment seeking to substitute the name of the former counsel, who is now deceased. The application was granted by the presiding judge.
The DW3, who is the Bursar of the institution, was led in evidence by counsel to the first defendant, Solomon Umoh, SAN. During his testimony, he tendered a document described as a budget circular, which was not opposed by the prosecuting counsel.
While explaining the issue of non-regular allowances, the witness told the court that such allowances are paid when ad-hoc events or special assignments are carried out within a specific period. He explained that they are non-pensionable and taxable when paid.
The witness further informed the court that the Federal Government had listed 32 items under non-regular allowances, including honorarium.
According to him, honorarium is a token of appreciation and is not subject to negotiation.
When asked to explain paragraph 4, point 8 of Exhibit 7, the witness said the Federal Government, in 2012, issued a budget circular containing guidelines for the preparation of budget proposals.
He said the circular was issued in August 2012 by the then Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as part of efforts to move the government system from analogue to digital operations.
According to the witness, the initiative was aimed at promoting transparency and efficiency, and there was a need to train members of staff.
He explained that, based on the recommendation of the former Head of Accounts of the institution, management decided that Henry Oyibo, who was then the Desk Officer at the Budget Office of the Federation, should be consulted to train the institution’s staff on the new system.
The witness said Oyibo was contacted and subsequently conducted the training.
He further told the court that Oyibo carried out the training voluntarily and later informed the management that the assignment had been completed. He said Oyibo was subsequently paid in accordance with the Financial Regulations of 2009.
The witness also explained that Chapter 6, Section 6:13 of the Financial Regulations provides that payment should be made only to the person named on the voucher or through an authorised representative. He said it was on this basis that Henry Oyibo was paid.
However, due to the inability of the prosecution to trace the exhibits required for cross-examination, proceedings could not continue.
The case was consequently adjourned to October 20, 21 and 22, 2026, at 12 noon.
The adjournment was also necessitated by the fact that the first defendant, Sunday Etukodoh, a former Provost of the College of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Technology, Jos, is facing another case involving alleged financial embezzlement before the State High Court. The matter is also scheduled for the same dates for the adoption of the Case Management Conference.
DemocracyNewslineNewspaper September 24, 2026
