A Prosecution Witness, Ismail Lawal has told a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja that former Governor of Taraba, Darius Dickson Ishaku gave him 5,000 dollars to relocate to Lagos to escape arrest by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which on Sept. 30th, 2024, arraigned Ishaku and former Permanent Secretary, Taraba State Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Bello Yero
who are being prosecuted on a 15-count charge of criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds to the tune of N27 billion.
Testifying, Lawal a former Aid to the Governor alleged that Ishaku gave him the money to relocate when he learned that the EFCC was trailing him.
Lawal informed the court that he worked as a system analyst in 2011 with Excelarc Partners, owned by the former Governor and
who later called him in 2012 to work as a Personal Assistant when the former Governor was appointed Minister of State for Power and when
he became Governor of Taraba in 2015, he invited him again to work with him as Personal assistant.
“I was in charge of the former Governor’s mails andI 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” he revealed.
Lawal who was led into evidence by the Prosecution Counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN
added that he was paid a monthly salary of N130,000 in cash by the former governor.
He informed the Court that he learned that the EFCC needed him for questioning on June 12th, 2021 and
he was ready to show up but the former Governor told him not to appear in the EFCC office that he should stay away.
“I was in Lagos for close to two years, I moved from one hotel to another and I don’t know how the EFCC officials traced my whereabouts to my hotel in Magodo, Lagos I was arrested and
transferred to Abuja from Lagos” Lawal further said.
”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 and
in spite of objection by the defence counsel P.H.Ogbole ,SAN for Ishaku and Adeila Adedipe SAN, for Yero, the prosecution counsel, Jacobs 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 the Permanent Secretary, Government House, Jalingo, Mr Chindo Audu or the Director of Finance, Mr Galenya Lydia
they always tell him that they sent money meant for His Excellency and that he should withdraw and give it to him Governor Ishaku.
Justice Sylvania Oriji adjourned the case to Jan. 28th, 2025 for continuation of hearing.
