A witness in the ongoing trial of former Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has told an Abuja High Court that the ex-governor’s name did not appear in any of the transaction records tendered in evidence.
The witness, Ismail Lawal, a former personal assistant to Ishaku, gave the testimony under cross-examination in the case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“The first defendant’s name does not appear on the account statement, but there was a transaction made to Worthy Construction Limited,” Lawal said.
Ishaku and Bello Yero, a former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, are facing 15 charges of criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and diversion of public funds totalling ₦27 billion.
The EFCC alleged that the funds were siphoned from contingency allocations belonging to the Bureau and several local governments for personal use. One of the charges accuses Ishaku of funnelling part of the money into Worthy Construction Limited, allegedly owned by him.
During cross-examination by Ishaku’s counsel, Eko Ejembi (SAN), Lawal said the transfers recorded in his notebook—submitted as an exhibit—showed that some of the payments were for security operations.
He cited transfers to the Department of State Services (DSS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Inspector-General of Police (IGP), NASA, and other security units.
“Some are for security, while some are also to other people,” the witness explained.
Justice Slyvanius Oriji adjourned the proceedings until Thursday for the continuation of cross-examination.
