By Abiola Olawale
A prosecution witness, Abubakar Umar, has recounted how he allegedly gave the former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, the sum of $15.8 million cash at his residence in Abuja in 2014.
Umar gave this account before the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja. He was brought before the presiding judge, Justice Peter Lifu, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a prosecution witness.
Umar who claims to be a bureau de change operator, told the court how he received money from Suswam through various proxies on numerous occasions in tranches.
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 recounted further: “He asked me to give the woman my account number. I gave the woman my Zenith Bank account number. The woman said she’d 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 would not allow me access to 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 total money transferred to my account was N3 billion.”
After hearing the testimony of the witness, Peter Lifu, the judge presiding over the case, adjourned the matter till October 4, 2024, for continuation of trial.
The New Diplomat reports that Suswam, alongside former Benue State Commissioner of Finance, Omadachi Okolobia, were re-arraigned on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering in 2020.
They were both accused of diverting N3.1 billion from the state coffers.
They were first arraigned before Ahmed Mohammed, a judge of the federal high court, in 2015.
