A key prosecution witness, Mr. Ismail Lawal, testified on Tuesday at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court that former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku gave him $5,000 to relocate to Lagos to avoid scrutiny from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ishaku and former Permanent Secretary of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Bello Yero, were arraigned by the EFCC on September 30, 2024, facing a 15-count charge of fraud, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust involving N27 billion.
During his testimony, Lawal claimed that Ishaku provided the funds after learning of an ongoing EFCC investigation into his activities. He described his work history with Ishaku, starting as a system analyst for Excelarc Partners in 2011, then serving as Ishaku’s personal assistant when he became Minister of State for Power in 2012. Upon Ishaku’s election as governor in 2015, Lawal continued in the role of personal assistant.
“I was responsible for managing the former governor’s correspondence and ran errands,” Lawal stated. “I also collected money from the accounts section of the Government House in Jalingo and handled it according to his instructions.”
Lawal disclosed that he was paid a monthly salary of N130,000 in cash by Ishaku. He revealed that he was notified of the EFCC’s interest in interviewing him on June 12, 2021. However, he claimed Ishaku advised him to avoid the EFCC office.
“I spent nearly two years in Lagos, moving between hotels. I later learned that EFCC officials somehow tracked me to my hotel in Magodo, Lagos,” he said.
After his arrest in Lagos, Lawal was transferred to Abuja, where he viewed CCTV footage showing him collecting funds from a UBA branch and was presented with his bank statements from Zenith Bank.
Despite objections from the defense counsel—P.H. Ogbole, SAN, representing Ishaku, and Adeila Adedipe, SAN, representing Yero—the prosecution successfully submitted the witness’s bank statements as exhibits.
Lawal testified that he received calls from either the Permanent Secretary of the Government House, Jalingo, Mr. Chindo Audu, or the Director of Finance, Mr. Galenya Lydia, each time money was deposited into his account. “They instructed me to withdraw the money meant for His Excellency and deliver it to him,” Lawal stated.
Justice Sylvania Oriji adjourned the case until January 28 for further proceedings.
