John Elias, a former commissioner in Adamawa State who just served a 10-year prison sentence, claims he was punished for a crime he didn't commit.
Elias, who served as commissioner of finance from 1999 to 2003 under Governor Boni Haruna, said in a news interview that the accusations against him were made up by rivals who were concerned about his rising political profile. Elias was released from prison on Thursday.
He remembered being found guilty of cheating the Adamawa State Government of N51 million by the Federal High Court judge in Yola.
He claimed that the aforementioned N51 million was money donated by the 21 local government chairmen in 2002 for the Bring Back Boni (BBB) effort for Boni's second term.
He added that the BBB committee decided to deposit the money in his account because it did not have one when the initial portion of the gift was made.
He added that Senator Paul Wampana's petition accusing him of embezzling public funds was fueled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), whose chairman at the time was Adamawa native Ibrahim Lamurde.
Elias stated, "It was the BBB project's money found in my account that the EFCC utilised against me," noting that this was true despite the fact that he had presented witnesses who had confirmed that the 21 LGA chairmen had contributed the funds to re-elect Boni.
"I was actually imprisoned for crimes I didn't commit, but I thank God that I am still alive and well, and that some of My opponents have since perished. Many of those who are still living are in appalling conditions.
"If you commit theft, you need to be able to profit from your actions. I gave the intended recipient of the money in question the entire sum. I didn't take any money out of it.
But he went on to say that he has pardoned everyone who was responsible for his issue. Who knows, if I weren't in jail, I might have run into one issue or another. According to the Bible, everything works out for the best.