A prosecution witness, Ismail Lawal, has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku gave him $5,000 to relocate to Lagos State.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, on September 30, 2024, arraigned Ishaku and former Permanent Secretary at the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Taraba State, Bello Yero, for alleged fraud.
They are being prosecuted on a 15-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and conversion of public funds to the tune of N27 billion.
Testifying, Lawal alleged that Ishaku gave him the money to relocate when he learned that the EFCC was investigating him.
Lawal informed the court that he worked as a system analyst in 2011 with Excelarc Partners, owned by the former governor.
He added that he was later called in 2012 to work as a personal assistant to Ishaku when he (former governor) was appointed the Minister of State for Power.
The witness disclosed that when Ishaku became governor of Taraba State in 2015, he invited him to work with him as personal assistant.
“I was in charge of the former governor’s mails. I ran errands for him as well as collect money from the accounts section of the Government House in Jalingo and followed the governor’s instructions on what to do with the money,” Lawal said.
Lawal added that he was paid a monthly salary of N130,000 in cash by the former governor.
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He stated: “I was informed that the EFCC needed me for questioning on June 12, 2021.
“I was ready to show up but I was later told by the former governor not to appear in the EFCC office. He said I should stay away.
“I was in Lagos for close to two years. I moved from one hotel to another. I don’t know how the EFCC officials traced my whereabouts to my hotel in Magodo, Lagos.”
The witness said upon his arrest, he was transferred to Abuja from Lagos.
“I was shown a CCTV footage of how I collected money from the UBA branch at Jabi in Abuja and also shown my bank statement in Zenith Bank current and savings accounts,” Lawal added.
In spite of objection by the defence counsel P.H.Ogbole (SAN) for Ishaku and Adeila Adedipe (SAN) for Yero, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), tendered the statements of account of the witness, which were admitted by the court as exhibits.
He told the court that each time money was paid into his account, he gets a call afrom either Permanent Secretary at the Government House in Jalingo, Chindo Audu or the Director of Finance, Galenya Lydia.
They always tell me that they sent money meant for His Excellency and that I should withdraw and give it to him (Ishaku),” Lawal added.
The presiding judge, Justice Sylvania Oriji, thereafter adjourned the case until January 28 for the continuation of hearing.
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