Gabriel Suswam
By Victory Oghene
The sixth prosecution witness in the trial of former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, Abubakar Umar, has narrated how he converted the sum of N3.1 billion, sent to him by Suswam as governor in 2014, and delivered its equivalent of $15.8 million in cash to him at his residence in the Maitama area of Abuja.
Umar disclosed this before the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama and presided over by Justice Peter Lifu.
Suswan, alongside his then Commissioner of Finance, Omodachi Okolobia, are facing 11-count amended charges of money laundering to the tune of N3.1 billion, being part of the proceeds from the sales of the state government’s shares held on its behalf by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, sold through Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited.
During the court’s proceedings on Friday, September 27, 2024, the witness, a bureau de change operator and CEO of Fanffash Resources, who has been testifying on the matter since 2018, disclosed that the total sum of N3.1 billion was transferred to him by Suswam, through a proxy in tranches with the first tranche of N413 million hitting his account on August 8, 2014.
He added that the remaining money subsequently came in to sum up to N3.1 billion.
Umar, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), affirmed that the proxy who did the naira transfers to him was a woman.
According to the witness, he had to change a total sum of N3.1 billion to dollars, which he said amounted to $15.8 million at the rate of N197 to a dollar and delivered it to Suswam in his Maitama residence.
The witness said: “One day in 2014, when I was in the office, the former governor of Benue State asked me to meet him in his house in Maitama, Abuja. I went and met him in the house together with one fair woman. He asked me to give the woman my account number. I gave the woman my Zenith Bank account number. The woman said she would send money into that account.
“On the 8th of August 2014, N413 million was transferred to my account. Based on this, I called the former governor and he told me to change the money to dollars and I asked him to give me time to do that.
“Three days after I bought the dollar equivalent, I called the former governor and informed him that the money was ready. He now asked me to take the money to his house in Maitama, near Jumat Mosque. I now told him that he should inform the security at the gate that I was coming, if not they will not allow me access to the gate.
“I took a cab to the house, and after I arrived at the house, I knocked at the gate and they opened. I told them my name. They opened the first and second gates and I sat in the waiting room where he came and met me. I now brought out the money which we both confirmed to be the equivalent of the N413 million. The exchange rate then was N197.”
Umar continued: “On the 12th of September 2014, N637 million was transferred to my account. After N637 million was transferred to my account, after like 40 minutes N363 million was also transferred into my account.
“On 13th October 2014, N630,008,50 was also transferred to my account. On 17th October 2014, N1,0068,000 was transferred to my account. It is the woman who was directed by the former governor to do the transfers. The total money transferred to my account was N3 billion.”
The witness, who stated that he was neither arrested by the EFCC for giving any testimony in favour of the defendant nor threatened by the commission to give evidence against the defendant, further disclosed that he did not have receipts or a record book for the transactions.
He stated that he buys dollars from his fellow retailers and only records based on discretion.
Justice Lifu, thereafter, adjourned the matter till October 4, 2024, for the continuation of trial.
