AN Abuja High Court handling the alleged corruption trial of a former
governor of Taraba State, Reverend Jolly Nyame, was told on Wednesday
how the former governor looted the state funds.
A key witness, Mr Abdulrahman Mohammed, an accountant with the Rural
Electrification Board, Jalingo, Taraba State, told Justice Adebunkola
Ban-joko how 20 cheques of a new generation bank, valued at over N282
million, were issued and the money withdrawn and given to the
ex-governor in Abuja.
The ex-governor, who was being prosecuted by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was facing a 41-count charge of
money laundering, criminal breach of trust and gratification, totaling
N1,360,000,000.
At the resumed hearing of the case, Mr Moha-mmed, while testifying in
the case, said between 2003 and 2007, he was the accountant, Taraba
State Liaison Office, Abuja, where he was in charge of the account
department of the liaison office.
Led-in-chief by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacob, Mohammed said
any time the ex-governor was in Abuja, the permanent secretary,
Government House, Jalingo, would call the permanent secretary, Liaison
Office, Abuja, Mr. Japheth Wubon and instruct him to go to the bank and
withdraw money for the governor.
Mohammed said Mr Wubon would, in turn, call on him to prepare a
cheque which he would later cash and take the money to the former
governor at the lodge at T. Y. Danjuma Street, Abuja.
He further told the court that the money, which was either received
by the governor or a steward, was always never receipted, neither was
any voucher signed by the governor each time he received money from him.
According to him, the money he withdrew for the ex-governor in 2006
were: March 13, N15.5 million; May 4, N25 million; June 16, N5 million;
June 29, N25,020,000; July 21, N3 million; October 10, N5,101,000;
October 31, N10 million; November 7, N20 million; November 13,
N25,010,000.
The 2007 withdrawals Mohammed made for the ex-governor, according to
his testimony before Justice Adebunkola, were: January 8, N25 million;
January 18, N15 million; January 30, N25 million; February 19, N20
million; March 7, N2,010,000; March 21, N4 million; March 24, N6
million; March 30, N20 million and May 7, N20 million.
But the defence counsel, led by Lateef Fagbemi, objected to the
cheques being tendered in evidence, as he maintained that the cheques,
having being drawn and received by the bank, upon which payments were
made, could not be tendered by the witness.
The judge adjourned the case till April 30, May 24 and 25.
