In the trial of the former governor of Taraba, Darius Ishaku, a witness, Ismail Lawal, has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama that he collected the former governor’s allowances on his behalf from Government House.
Ishaku and Bello Yero, a former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, are facing a 15-count charge marked FCT/HC/CR/ 792/2024.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged them with criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and conversion of public funds totalling N27 billion.
They pleaded not guilty to the charge against them.
Yesterday, during the trial, Lawal, the first prosecution witness (PW1), was a Personal Assistant to the former governor.
Under cross-examination by Counsel for the first defendant, Paul Ogbole (SAN), he told the court that he was aware that Ishaku was entitled to some allowances as a sitting governor.
He added that these allowances included travel, domestic staff, vehicle maintenance, medical, security and severance.
He said, “I collected many of these allowances on his behalf. I don’t know how much the security allowance was. I collected his allowances from Government House on behalf of His Excellency (Ishaku). I wouldn’t know the type of allowances I collected on his behalf,” he said.
Lawal said that, though he did not know the total amount of the allowances he collected on behalf of the former governor, he was not surprised that the governor was entitled to receive allowances.
He added that, as a law-abiding citizen who has never been involved in any criminality, while working for the first defendant, he only collected money on his (Ishaku’s) behalf based on instructions.
“I would not have carried out any illegitimate assignments. I carried out the assignments I was given. As a governor, I know he (Ishaku) would not carry out illegitimate assignments,” he said.
He told the court that he was not a staff member of the Taraba government or any of the state’s local governments.
He added that while working for the former governor, he was not under any compulsion and never did anything to undermine his principal or any institution.
Lawal said that he was in EFCC custody for 40 days after failing to meet the bail conditions the commission gave him after his arrest in Lagos.
He said that he was shocked and thrown into confusion and panic when EFCC operatives arrested him.
Lawal further told the court that, apart from the statement he made when he was arrested in Lagos in the presence of his friend, he had made other statements to the EFCC.
He added that he made other statements without his lawyer in attendance, but a lawyer, Nafisat Haliru Muhammed, was later present.
The witness said the commission did not tell him he would be a prosecution witness in detention.
However, he said he was told his statement might be used against him in court.
When asked if he knew a company called Barrett Holdings, the witness answered in the affirmative.
He told the court that he neither knew the particulars of the company’s directors nor the relationship between Ishaku and the company.
However, he confirmed that he had paid money into Barrett Holdings’ account several times.
He said, “Sometimes it was from part of his (Ishaku’s) allowances I collected from Government House. Sometimes he gave me cash to pay.”
Justice Slyvanius Oriji adjourned until Sept. 30 to continue cross-examining the PW1.
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