High Court, Abubakar Umar, on March 24, 2021 narrated how he handed over
the sum of $15.8m to the former governor at his Maitama residence,
Abuja.
Recall that the witness, a Bureau De Change Operator and CEO of Fanffash
Resources, has been in the witness box since 2018. At a stage in the
trail, he was declared hostile, after he recanted on the statement he
volunteered to the EFCC, while being led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs
SAN. In his statement before the EFCC, he wrote that he took the money
to the governor at his residence in in Maitama Abuja but changed the
narrative in court, by stating that he took the money to the Government
House in Benue State.
At today’s hearing, the PW4, reaffirmed his earliest statement to the
EFCC. He disclosed that he received calls from associates of Suwam
threatening him to change his statement in Court. “I changed my
statement because of the pressure I received from Suswam’s people”, he
said.
When asked by prosecution counsel, what the ex-governor’s allies wanted
him to change, he told the court that they wanted him to change where
and who he gave the Dollar equivalent of N3.1 billion.
Umar further revealed that “I don’t know Elixir but sometime in August
2014, Suswam called me to his house in Maitama and introduced me to a
lady and asked me to give her my account details.
“Suswam said when I see the money, I should give him the Dollar
equivalent which I did, amounting to $15.8m while using N197 as exchange
rate. I handed over the Dollars in cash to Suswam at his residence in
Abuja”
Umar told the court that he never mentioned that he handed over the
money to Suswam at Kubwa but Maitama.
The witness said his company Fanffash Resources has no relationship with
the Benue State Government, and that he also has no business or
contract with Elixir Investment Partners Limited and does not know where
they are.
The matter has been adjourned till May 25, 2021 for continuation of
trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, re-arraigned the
former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, alongside his then
Commissioner of Finance, Omodachi Okolobia on November 2, 2020 before
Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja for fraud.
Both were docked on amended 11-count charges, bordering on theft,
criminal breach of trust, illegal award of contracts and money
laundering to the tune of N3.1 billion.