A prosecution witness, Taiwo Johns, on Monday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja how funds belonging to local governments in Taraba State were paid into his company’s account and disbursed on instructions from officials of the state Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Johns testified before Justice Sylvanus Oriji in the ongoing ₦27bn fraud trial of former Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, and a former Permanent Secretary in the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Ishaku and Yero on a 15-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and alleged conversion of public funds amounting to ₦27bn.
Both defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Johns, who testified as the third prosecution witness, said he operated a company known as P3 International, which he used for his farming business before joining the civil service as an assistant cashier in the Taraba State Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
He told the court that EFCC investigators traced funds to his company’s account during their investigation.
According to him, senior officials of the bureau, including John Columba, Babangida Hassan and Bello Yero, asked him to submit his company’s account details so that money could be paid into the account.
“They asked me to submit the account number so that some money would be sent to me and that I should await further instruction on what to do with the money,” Johns said.
The witness said local government cashiers sometimes paid money directly into the account.
He explained that whenever money entered the account, he either withdrew it or left it in the bank while waiting for further instructions from senior officials.
“Sometimes when money comes into this account, I will withdraw the money or leave it in the bank and wait for further instruction,” he said.
Johns told the court that after receiving money, he would first report to his chief cashier, John Columba, who would report to Babangida Hassan, before instructions were obtained from Bello Yero on where the money should be paid.
“I reported to my chief cashier, John Columba, before I reported to Babangida Hassan and he reported to Bello Yero before I was given a directive on where to pay the money,” he stated.
He said he was sometimes given account numbers to transfer money to, while at other times he was instructed to deliver cash.
The witness also told the court that he sometimes handed cash to a man identified as Lawal, whom he described as a personal assistant to the governor.
Giving details of some transactions, Johns said ₦3m was paid into his account from local government funds on November 20, 2017, after which ₦2.25m was transferred to Prince Emmanuel Onwuzuruike.
He said the transfers made on that date totalled ₦5.25m.
“These are the only three payments I am aware of in cash: ₦9m, ₦8.5m and ₦5.8m,” he added.
The witness further testified that on February 6, 2018, he received ₦7.75m and was instructed to transfer ₦6.25m to Onwuzuruike.
He also said that on April 11, 2018, his account received ₦5m, ₦1.7m and ₦1.8m from local government funds, adding that part of the money was withdrawn in cash on the instruction of the Director of Finance, Babangida Hassan.
Johns further told the court that on April 26, 2018, his account was credited with ₦4,767,386.41.
“On the same date, ₦4.78m and ₦3.22m were transferred to Prince Onwuzuruike,” he said.
He added that on April 27, 2018, he received ₦5.65m and ₦4.5m, after which he was instructed to transfer ₦4.78m and ₦3.37m to Onwuzuruike.
Johns maintained that all the transactions were carried out based on instructions from senior officials of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
The trial had earlier been stalled in May after Yero’s lawyer withdrew from the case, prompting the court to grant him time to engage a new counsel.
Justice Oriji adjourned the matter until July 7 for continuation of trial.
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