A prosecution witness on Tuesday told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku’s name did not appear in bank statements and personal records showing receipt and disbursement of state funds. Instead, the records referenced the former governor’s company, Worthy Construction Limited.
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Ismail Lawal, a former personal assistant to Mr. Ishaku and the first prosecution witness in the N27 billion fraud case, provided the testimony during cross-examination by the former governor’s defence lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Eko Ejembi.
“The first defendant’s (Mr. Ishaku) name did not appear on the account statement, but there was a transaction to Worthy Construction Limited,” Lawal stated. He has been testifying since January on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC is prosecuting Mr. Ishaku alongside Bello Yero, a former Permanent Secretary of Taraba State’s Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, for criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and fraudulent conversion of public funds totaling N27 billion.
Count 15 of the charges specifically alleges that the former governor diverted over N700 million to “defray the loan of one billion Naira granted by Zenith Bank Plc. to your company, Worthy Construction Limited.”
Lawal, who previously worked for Ishaku’s private business before becoming his personal assistant during his governorship from May 2015 to May 2023, previously detailed how he received and distributed funds on behalf of the former governor. He explained that he collected monies from officials including Mr. Yero and Emmanuel Ifun, then-Director of Finance at Taraba State Government House.
During Tuesday’s cross-examination, Lawal testified about entries in his notebook, which he claimed recorded all funds received and disbursed. The notebook reportedly contained transfers to agencies including the State Security Service (SSS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other security offices.
“Some are for security, while some are also for other people,” he told the court, adding that the instructions from the former governor were mostly verbal, occasionally conveyed through text messages or written notes.
Lawal admitted that the notebook is not an official government or bank record but “strictly between me and His Excellency,” and that the entries were not countersigned by those from whom he collected the funds.
Justice Oriij Sylvanus adjourned the case until Wednesday for the continuation of the witness’s cross-examination.
Mr. Ishaku and his co-defendant were first arraigned before the FCT High Court on September 30, 2024. EFCC alleges that billions of naira from contingency funds belonging to the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and certain local governments were misappropriated during the former governor’s tenure.
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