Former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Benjamin Dikki, testified in an FCT High Court on Tuesday, alleging that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) forced him to commit to refunding N1 billion. Dikki, alongside his company, Kebna Studio and Communications Limited, is facing prosecution on charges related to bribery and abuse of office.
The charges stem from allegations that Dikki received a N1 billion bribe from Bestworth Insurance Brokers for facilitating the approval of outstanding insurance premiums and claims for deceased and incapacitated staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
Dikki informed the court that he was informed on August 29, 2016, by an EFCC operative that the commission had been looking for him and had arrested his wife and son. Despite not receiving any prior invitations from the anti-graft agency, he agreed to appear at the EFCC office on September 1, 2016.
Upon arrival, Dikki claimed he was taken to the team leader, one Bashir, who informed him that the commission had completed its investigation. Bashir allegedly insisted that Dikki write a statement committing to refund the N1 billion to the account of Kebna Studio. Dikki asserted that he couldn’t make such a commitment, leading to his detention in the EFCC cell from 6 pm to 7:40 pm.
Dikki further claimed that he was not with his lawyer when writing the statements and was not advised to have legal representation. He stated that he was harassed and psychologically tortured by the EFCC operatives.
In a bid for his freedom, Dikki arranged for a N50 million payment to EFCC, and upon receiving the funds on Monday, September 5, 2016, he was released the following day. The trial is set to continue, with the next hearing scheduled for January 16, 2024, for the adoption of processes in the trial-within-trial.
