The third witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the trial of former Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, over an alleged ₦27 billion fraud has admitted before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, that various huge sums of money were transferred into his personal accounts during the former governor’s tenure.
The witness, Mr Taiwo Jones, told the High Court on Tuesday that huge sums of money were arbitrarily transferred into his personal bank accounts by top government officials during Ishaku’s administration.
Ishaku and a former Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, are being prosecuted by the EFCC before Justice Sylvanus Oriji in Abuja on a 15-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds to the tune of ₦27 billion.
The two defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/792/2024, brought against them by the anti-corruption commission on behalf of the Federal Government.
At the resumed trial of the former governor, Jones, an Assistant Cashier in the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, told the court that some funds were transferred into his two personal accounts, including a pre-generated account he opened during his mandatory one-year national service.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Jones informed the court that the rate at which funds were deposited into his personal accounts was lower than that of his company’s account.
According to him, whenever such funds entered his accounts, the second defendant, Yero, and some government officials, including the Director of Finance in the Bureau, Babangida Hassan, and the Chief Cashier, John Columba, issued verbal directives on how to disburse the funds.
He told the court that although his bosses in the Bureau sometimes transferred money into his accounts, the particulars of the senders were concealed from him.
“There are times my bosses in the office will send money into the account and give me instructions on what to do,” the witness told the court.
Asked to highlight some of the deposits made into his personal accounts, Jones told the court that on November 1, 2019, one Abdullahi Yunusa deposited ₦7 million.
He added that he was instructed to pay ₦4 million to Prince Onwuzurike, ₦2 million to one Musa and ₦1 million to Yunusa A’s account.
Jones said he received another ₦3.5 million from an unknown depositor, adding that he was instructed to hand over the money to the Director of Finance, Babangida Hassan.
Asked to confirm to the court whether the money deposited into his personal accounts came from Taraba local governments, the witness answered in the negative, adding that he did not know who deposited the money.
When the prosecutor asked the witness to explain the nature of the disbursement of funds received into his company, P3 Cornerstone’s account and his two personal accounts, Jones told the court that he always informed his three bosses whenever money was deposited into the accounts.
According to him, the three officials always gave him instructions on whom to give money to and which accounts to deposit other funds into, adding that money was sent to Prince Onwuzurike and other persons.
He said a former aide to former Governor Ishaku, Dare Lawal, always came to collect money he, Jones, withdrew from his accounts.
“Dare Lawal would come to collect the money and my Permanent Secretary (Yero) or Director of Finance would come to ascertain it,” Jones told the court.
He explained that unlike payments to the Emirs, chiefs and local government workers, which were evidenced by sub-receipts, directives given to him by the second defendant, Yero, and other government officials had no physical vouchers.
According to the PW3, “The directives were verbal; there was nothing physical to show.”
Meanwhile, following a request by the lawyers for the defendants, with no objection from the prosecution, Justice Oriji adjourned the case to October 21 for cross-examination of the witness.
Taraba Govt money moved into my account under Gov Ishaku – EFCC witness admits in court