Abubakar Umar, the Prosecution Witness 6 in the trial of a former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has narrated before the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, how in 2014 he converted N3.1 billion, wired to him by the former governor and delivered its equivalent of $15.8 million in cash to him at his Maitama, Abuja residence.
He and his then Commissioner of Finance, Omodachi Okolobia, are on trial on an 11-count amended charges of money laundering.
The N3.1 billion is said to be part of the proceeds of the sale of the state government’s shares held on its behalf by the Benue State Investment and Property Company Limited, sold through Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited.
During the court’s proceedings, the witness, a bureau de change operator and CEO of Fanffash Resources, who has been testifying on the matter since 2018, first before Justice A. R. Mohammed and later Justice Okon Abang, disclosed that the N3.1 billion was transferred to him by Suswam, through a proxy, in tranches, with the first tranche of N413 million hitting his account on August 8, 2014 and the remaining coming in subsequently.
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Umar, while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), affirmed that the proxy who did the naira transfers to him was a woman.
According to the witness, he had to change N3.1 billion to dollars, which he said amounted to $15.8 million at the rate of N197 to a dollar and delivered it to Suswam in his Maitama, Abuja residence.
He said: “One day in 2014, when I was in the office, the former governor of Benue State asked me to meet him in his house in Maitama, Abuja.
“I went and met him in the house together with one fair woman.
“He asked me to give the woman my account number.
“I gave the woman my Zenith Bank account number.
“The woman said she’ll send money into that account.
“On the 8th of August, 2014, N413 million was transferred to my account.
“Based on this, I called the former governor and he told me to change the money to dollars and I asked him to give me time to do that.
“Three days after I bought the dollar equivalent, I called the former governor and informed him that the money was ready.
“He now asked me to take the money to his house in Maitama, near Jumat Mosque.
“I now told him that he should inform the security at the gate that I was coming, if not they’ll not allow me access into the gate.
“I took a cab to the house.
“And after I arrived at the house, I knocked at the gate and they opened.
“I told them my name.
“They opened the first and second gates and I sat in the waiting room where he came and met me.
“I now brought out the money, which we both confirmed to be the equivalent of the N413 million.
“The exchange rate then was N197.
“On the 12th of September, 2014, N637 million was transferred to my account.
“After N637 million was transferred to my account, after like 40 minutes, N363 million was also transferred into my account.
“On 13th October, 2014, N630,008,050 was also transferred to my account.
“On 17th October, 2014 N1,068,000,000 was transferred to my account.
“It is the woman that was directed by the former governor to do the transfers.
“The total money transferred to my account was N3 billion.”
The witness who stated that he was neither arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for giving any testimony in favour of the defendant nor threatened by the Commission to give evidence against the defendant, further disclosed that he did not have receipts for the transactions, so also no record book for them, stating that he buys dollars from his fellow retailers and only records based on discretion.
Justice Lifu adjourned the matter till October 4, 2024 for continuation of trial.
