Our Reporter
Abubakar Umar, a witness in the current trial of former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, on Monday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he was threatened to change the statement he made to investigators on his role in the alleged diversion of state funds.
Umar, an Abuja-based Bureau De Change (BDC) operator, testified as a prosecution witness when he was led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs (SAN).
The businessman spoke in Hausa but has his testimony translated to English by a court interpreter.
Jacobs asked Umar to recall that he last told the court that he was being called by many people to change his statement.
He said: “Yes, that is how it is. Many people have been calling me so that I will change my statement on my master, Gabriel Suswam.”
The lawyer then asked the witness: “Can you also tell my lord your discussion with your master, Suswam, before that time and what you told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the instruction he gave you?”
Umar said: “Gabriel Suswam called me and said that I should go to J. B. Daudu (the ex-governor’s lawyer). When I got to J. B. Daudu, he asked me why I wrote a statement like that. I told him to ask Suswam. He then said I should go.”
Umar, who is the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), also recalled that he earlier informed the court that N413 million was the first amount that entered his Zenith Bank account, Famfash Resources, from Elixir Investment.
“I was not having much money in my account before the money came in and it took me eight to 10 days to change the money into dollars before handling it to Suswam.
“On September 12, 2014, N637 million entered Fanffash Resource’s account. After one to two hours, N363 million entered again on the same day,” he said.
The witness said he later bought dollars with the money and called the former governor before taking the money to him.
“On October 13, 2014, the first money that entered was N630 million. There was another money that entered Fanffash Resources account, which was N8,018.51,” he said.
According to him, on October 23, 2014, he bought dollars with the money.
“On October 17, 2014, another money entered into Fanffash Resources account from Elixir Investment; that is, N1.6 million. I bought dollars with the money and it took me about 12 days to buy the dollars,” he said.
When Jacobs asked him if he had ever been to Makurdi in Benue State, Umar said: “No, I don’t know Makurdi. No, I don’t know Government House in Makurdi. I have never been to Makurdi.”
Jacobs then told the court that he was done with the witness and Justice Okon Abang asked lawyers to the defendants if they were ready to proceed with cross-examination.
Suswam’s lawyer Chinelo Ogbozor said she was ready, while Paul Erokoro (SAN), who represented the second defendant (Omadachi Oklobi, a former Commissioner for Finance under Suswam) sought a 10-minute stand down to enable him confer with Daudu, against whom the witness made some allegations.
At the resumption of proceedings, Ogbozor tendered documents containing the record of previous proceedings in the case before the former trial judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed (who withdrew from the case before it was transferred to Justice Abang’s court).
Ogbozor asked the witness if he could recall giving evidence before Justice Mohammed and Umar said: “Yes, I remember giving evidence in Justice Mohammed’s court.”
Justice Abang admitted the photocopy of a certified true copy (CTC) of the document in evidence and marked it as Exhibit E65.
The judge adjourned till today and tomorrow for continuation of trial.
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