Alex Badeh: Ex-military chief bought N260m house for son, renovated with N60m, furnished with N90m - Witness

He alleged that the ex-military chief bought a house at Wuse 2 at N260m for his first son, renovated it with N60m and furnished it with N90m.

A former director of finance of the Nigeria air force, Salisu Abdullahi, says the embattled former chief of air staff, Alex Badeh instructed him to buy houses for two of his sons in an highbrow area of Abuja.

Abdullahi is a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the ex-military chief.

Speaking at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday, March 16, Abdullahi said Badeh directed him to look for choice property for his first son, Alex Badeh jr, because he wanted him to own a house.

He alleged that the ex-military chief bought a house at Wuse 2 at N260m for his first son, renovated it with N60m and furnished it with N90m.

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He told the presiding judge, Justice Okon Abang, that when Badeh’s second son turned down a house worth N340million, a second house had to be bought for N330million.

“My chief also told me he wanted his second son, Kam, to own a house. The name of the owner of house is Isiaka Rabiu,” Abdullahi told the court.

“I told him the price of the house was about N340m. He directed me to pay. I paid the dollar equivalent of the money to Rabiu. The money was from the normal amount I take to my chief monthly.

“When Kam saw the house, he didn’t like it. When my chief saw it, he said we should look for another one.

“One evening, I was sitting in my house. One Honourable Bature called and requested me to see him. He was then living at Kumasi crescent at Wuse 2. When I saw him, he told me he wanted to sell his house. He was building another house somewhere.

“He requested me to find someone who can buy the house. I told my chief and he said he wouldn’t like Honourable Bature to know that he was the one buying.

“I told him we could use Barrister Useni Umar. I told Useni that my chief would like to buy a house, but he wouldn’t want the buyer to know he is the one buying.

“I took Useni to Honourable Bature as an agent. After two days, the barrister told me he had concluded negotiation with Bature and that he had agreed to sell the house for N330m.

“My chief directed that I should pay for the house. I took the equivalent of N330m in dollars, which was deducted from his (Badeh’s) own money, and effected the payment.

“I collected the title documents for the house and handed them over to my chief,” he narrated.

The witness, who is also a retired air commodore, had also told the court that he regularly converted N558m to dollars on Badeh's order and took it to his (Badeh) residence.