*Completely absolves self of wrongdoing
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ELLAN.png")
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-Summer-IDRI-Masterclass.jpg")
Former Senator representing Plateau South Constituency, and Former Military Governor of defunct Bendel State, Lt.Gen J.T. Useni has claimes inability to pay for legal services to defend an action instituted against him in the state of Jersey for the forfeiture of amounts domiciled in his Jersey bank accounts.
While responding to the statement of facts filed by the Attorney General in support of the forfeiture claim, the Former Military Leader averred in his affidavit that the freezing of his accounts has made it practically impossible to pay for his lawyer’s services without the risk of falling to anti money laundering laws.
He further alleged the hesitance of the Attorney General to disclose full material held against him in order to properly respond and provide an adequate defence.
In Paragraph 5 of his first affidavit cited and studied by TheNigerianLawyer, he stated;
“Given this situation, I have not had the legal support required to assist with providing the Court with a full defence to the forfeiture application, and this has been further hindered by the lack of full disclosure.
My lawyer has agreed to make an application to the Court for the release of funds and for directions for full disclosure if these are not agreed.
The lack of ability to fund my lawyer has meant that minimal work has been undertaken at this stage, which has been further hindered by the lack of full disclosure/discovery of the evidence that the AG relies in support of his case against me. I have in the section below, given some details as to my defence, and trust that it shows that the defence that I am reliant upon has substance.”
The state of Jersey in the claim filed by the Attorney General is praying the Court to forfeit the amounts held in four accounts belonging to the respondent domiciled in Standard Chartered Bank, Jersey on grounds of strong suspicion for being proceeds of corrupt practices in contravention of extant Nigerian and Jersey laws.
However, in the affidavit, Gen. Useni who is also the founder of the Democratic People’s Party and a former Minsiter of Aviation thoroughly denied any wrongdoing and outlined the history behind the accounts under scrutiny and legal questioning.
In Paragraph 3 of the said Affidavit, the four accounts identified by the Attorney General for consequent forfeiture by order of court for being “tainted. The provided account details (account number and amount held) are as follows:
Account No:
Amount Held
1010678018
€ 294,954.38
1010029745
£ 447,669.02
101351361
$1,684,203.44
1716709201
$ 62,298.89
Addressing why the said accounts were allegedly opened with pseudo identities, the respondent relying on the Statement of fact averred thus;
“It was possible, at that time, to open a numbered account which replaces the identity of the account holder with a multi-digit number allowing for greater client confidentiality…..no application was therefore not required to provide any identification documents, supporting evidence or source of wealth information on behalf of the person they were introducing to the Second Respondent”.
He further averred the sources of the amounts in the accounts are primarily gifts and donations he received from friends and well-wishers during festivities while he was in office, and denied culpability in any financial malfeasance.
“It is a well-known fact in Nigeria that there is a prevailing custom for friends, relatives and well-wishers to exchange gifts during festive seasons and ceremonial occasions and when visiting public officials without any intention to bribe or secure favours from such public officials. This is how I have accumulated the funds in the Bank Accounts, and this is how I have been able buy businesses etc. It is not corruption and if this were the case, the Nigerian government and authorities have all the necessary legislation and law enforcement agents to make a criminal case against me in Nigeria.”
J.T. Useni who was the Governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2019 Plateau Gubernatorial election also alleged lack of disclosure of full materials held against in by the AG in prosecution of the action, thus, preventing him from providing a robust and convincing defence.
“…..I ask this court to allow me to continue to defend this claim by ordering that …… that I will be provided with full disclosure of all material held by the AG, whether he relies on it or not, and that I get a further opportunity to provide further evidence on the matters that I have raised above for my defence.”
The book also examines Nigeria's legal ecosystem, focusing on the LPELR and NBA AI Guidelines. As a bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE eBook titled: How to Use the AI Features in LegalPedia and LawPavilion.
Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating:
"....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic."
How to Order:
📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878
📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com
🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
_______________________________________________________________________
“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
