Abubakar Umar, the sixth prosecution witness in the trial of former Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam, testified before the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, detailing how he converted ₦3.1 billion, wired to him by Suswam in 2014, into $15.8 million and delivered it in cash at Suswam’s residence in Maitama, Abuja. The case is being presided over by Justice Peter Lifu.
This information was disclosed in a statement issued by the Head of Media & Publicity for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dele Oyewale, on Saturday.
Suswam and his former Commissioner of Finance, Omodachi Okolobia, are facing 11 amended charges related to money laundering involving ₦3.1 billion. The funds were allegedly part of the proceeds from the sale of Benue State government shares, held by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited and sold through Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited.
Umar, a bureau de change operator and CEO of Fanffash Resources, has been testifying since 2018, first before Justice A.R Mohammed and later Justice Okon Abang. He detailed how the ₦3.1 billion was transferred to him in tranches, starting with ₦413 million on August 8, 2014, with subsequent payments summing up to ₦3.1 billion.
While being led in evidence by prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Umar revealed that the naira transfers were made by a female proxy of Suswam. He confirmed that he converted the funds into dollars at a rate of ₦197 per dollar, totaling $15.8 million, which he delivered to Suswam at his Maitama residence.
Umar recalled: “One day in 2014, while in my office, the former governor of Benue State asked me to meet him at his Maitama residence in Abuja. When I arrived, I met him and a fair-skinned woman. He asked me to give her my account details, and she said she would transfer money to my account. On August 8, 2014, ₦413 million was transferred. I informed the former governor and he instructed me to convert the funds to dollars. After three days, I delivered the dollar equivalent to him at his residence near the Jumat Mosque in Maitama.”
He further testified that additional funds were transferred to his account on multiple occasions: ₦637 million on September 12, 2014, ₦363 million shortly after, ₦630 million on October 13, 2014, and ₦1.068 billion on October 17, 2014. In total, ₦3 billion was transferred, all facilitated by the same woman on Suswam’s behalf.
Umar also clarified that he was not coerced by the EFCC into testifying against Suswam, nor had he been arrested or threatened. He admitted that no receipts or formal records of the transactions were kept, as he primarily operated on trust when buying dollars from other retailers.
Justice Lifu adjourned the case to October 4, 2024, for further trial proceedings.