By Godfrey Bivwere

Mr Raymond Omatseye, a former Director-General, DG, of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, charged with N1.5billion contract scam, has alleged that he was being “persecuted.”

The accused, who had been suspended as the DG of the agency since December 2010, is being prosecuted before a Federal High Court in Lagos by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Omatseye, who opened his defence, yesterday, told the court that he believed the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Mr Mohammed Adoke, SAN, was persecuting him.

Trial judge in the matter is Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia.

Omatseye, led in evidence by his counsel, Mr E. Onyeke, alleged that his trial came shortly after he declined a request by Adoke to discontinue a case that NIMASA filed against the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG.

Omatseye in his testimony by first craved the indulgence of the judge to allow him to go into the background of his claim which would aid the court to appreciate his evidence.

He is facing an amended 27-count charge of contract splitting and bid rigging to the tune of N1.5billion.

He was granted leave by the court to background his allegation.

Omatseye said “In December of 2010, I was approached by a gentleman, who at that time was the Executive Director of the Cabotage Service of NIMASA, in the name of Mr Ibrahim Zailani.  Zailani told me that he had been in a meeting with the AGF and that the AGF had directed him to tell me to withdraw a case between NIMASA and NLNG.

“I told him I could not do so because that was the decision of the board. Exactly on November 14, 2010, between noon and 1p.m., in my office, I received a call from a gentleman called Tunde Ayeni. He said hello, hold on for your caller and then handed the phone over to a man who said he was Adoke.

“The man said, ”I sent Zailani to you to withdraw the NLNG case and you have refused.”

sHe said ‘Mr President has called me twice on this matter to instruct you to withdraw this case. I responded to him, My AGF sir, either you please send me a memo to that effect or please send a message through my minister to direct me accordingly. I am not in a position to unilaterally withdraw the case.”