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Drama in court as Agbiti accuses police of lying
By Odita Sunday
AS the Naval Court-Martial over missing ship, MT. African Pride, enters its 31st day, one of the accused persons has accused the Nigeria Police of telling lies against him.
Rear Admiral Francis Agbiti, former Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the Eastern Naval Command while being cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel, Don Osaze Ikponmwen, said he was a victim of a frame-up.
The court-martial was full of drama yesterday as Agbiti and the prosecutor counsel disagreed on who was lying.
Agbiti said: "I do not relate or have any contact with oil bunkerers, it is not the FOC or Director of Operations in the Naval Headquarters that makes arrest."
He added: "Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adio Shittu, lied against me. I never gave any signal to the police because it is not in the operations of Navy to send signals to police."
Agbiti was recently indicted by DCP Shittu when he appeared at the court.
The former Naval chief said: "The DC of Police lied against me because he wants to shift the whole blames away from the police."
The prosecution lawyer, however, disagreed and accused Agbiti of lying. Ikponmwen said: "I put it to you that the Deputy Commissioner of Police has no basis to lie against you."
But, with a torch of drama, Agbiti replied: "I put it back to you that he lied against me."
An alarmed president of the tribunal, Rear Admiral Samuel Ajayi, asked Agbiti to apologise for being rude to the prosecutor.
But after apologising, Agbiti maintained his stand that he was innocent of the charges.
He said: "The DCP lied to dent my integrity, they all lied against me, they all conspired against me."
The prosecution says that Agbiti had earlier admitted involvement in oil bunkering, a claim he has vehemently denied.
The Naval chief told the tribunal yesterday: "I did not say that. What I said was that I was at the vanguard of crusade against illegal bunkering."
Agbiti was accused by the Navy's prosecution lawyer of removing one Lieutenant Jimoh, an oil officer, and replacing him with his one of his brothers known as Ochei who is a civilian. But he denied the allegation, saying: "I do not have any brother called Ochei."
Reacting, prosecution said: "Agbiti lied to the court."
But the Naval chief disagreed, saying: "This allegation is incorrect and laughable, the prosecution should be truthful and stop persecuting me."
The missing ship was arrested on October 8, 2004.
It, however, mysteriously got missing. To date, the vessel's whereabouts are unknown.
Two other senior naval officers are being tried along with Agbiti and have been examined by the tribunal.
Although, Agbiti's counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), represented by Paul Ogbole has closed its case, the prosecution is billed to address the court on Thursday, after which judgment will follow.`
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