Taraba Govt money moved into my account under Gov Ishaku – EFCC witness admits in court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented testimony from a witness, Mr. Taiwo Jones, in the trial of former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku and a former Permanent Secretary, Bello Yero. The trial, held in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, revolves around a ₦27 billion fraud allegation. Mr. Jones testified that, during Ishaku's tenure, funds were arbitrarily transferred into his personal accounts by top government officials.

Ishaku and Yero face 15 charges, including criminal breach of trust and conversion of public funds, and have pleaded not guilty. Jones, an Assistant Cashier at the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, informed the court that some funds were deposited into two personal accounts, including a pre-generated account he opened during his national service.

He mentioned that the volume of deposits in his personal accounts was lower than those in his company's account. Jones also revealed that, while his superiors occasionally deposited money into his accounts, they did not disclose the senders' information to him. He detailed specific instances of deposits, such as ₦7 million sent by Abdullahi Yunusa on November 1, 2019, to which Jones was instructed to forward specific amounts to others.

He also stated that, unlike payments to public officials, the verbal directives from Yero, Hassan, and others did not come with physical vouchers, making the transaction process more opaque. The trial has been adjourned for a further cross-examination of the witness on October 21.