I bought N4.7bn properties with earned estacodes – Ex-Air Chief Dikko

Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar Dikko on Wednesday, December 8, told Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja how he acquired properties worth N4.7 billion.

Dikko spoke during the continuation of his cross examination by the prosecuting counsel, Sylvanus Tahir.

The defendant, Dikko, told the court that he bought properties worth N4.7 billion through estacodes earned through training and flying most of the African Presidents.

“For 36 years of my service, My Lord, I served in the Presidential Fleet for 17 years. Most of the flights I took were external trips outside Nigeria, and I went for many training trips outside the country,” he said.

Dikko further disclosed that he flew all African Presidents during his years in service, except the Presidents of Cote D’Ivoire and Togo.

“I have earned a lot of estacodes, lots of foreign trips and two farms in Abuja with about 17 hectares of land and the other two in Kaduna are four hectares and 200 hectares respectively. I have been a farmer throughout my life,” he said.

When asked why he did not provide the court with documents to back up his claims about the estacodes, Dikko said nobody asked him to do so.

He, however, stated that he mentioned it in his extrajudicial statement to the EFCC.

Dikko told the court that the Nigerian Air Force “has its own way of operation,” adding that the Service had no e-payment system during his time.

However, documented evidence before the court shows that while Dikko was in office, he received his salary through the bank.

Also, pages 22 to 472 in the exhibit, shows e-transactions for upkeep to some officers. And those transactions happened in August 2012, when the defendant was the Chief of Air Staff.

Justice Dimgba adjourned the matter till March 1, 2022 for adoption of final addresses.

Dikko was first arraigned on January 25, 2017 on a 7-count charge of money laundering and procurement fraud to the tune of N9.7 billion.

Six of the counts were dismissed following a no case submission.