THE prosecution in the case against former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu opened trial yesterday by calling its first witness.
The witness, Tasiu Abubakar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) on secondment to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said he was part of a team of investigators that recovered a safe in a house in Sabo-Tasha, Kaduna allegedly owned by Yakubu.
Led in evidence by lead prosecuting lawyer Ben Ikani, Abubakar gave details of how the safe was recovered. He told the court that when it was opened, $9,772,800 and £74,000 were recovered in cash.
He said the money is now deposited at the Central Bank, Kano branch after the EFCC obtained an order of temporary forfeiture from a Federal High Court in Kano.
Abubakar said: “On February 2, 2017, the Kano Zonal office of the EFCC received intelligence information that there is a house located at Sabo-Tasha area in Kaduna State, in which money was kept.
“The Zonal Head of the Kano Unit assigned the Intelligence and Special Operation Section (ISOS) to carry out investigation on the intelligence.
“Based on that, the Zonal Head of Operation, directed the unit to proceed to Kaduna and carry out surveillance. The unit, which I am a member, proceeded immediately.
“On arrival at the area, the house was identified. And a search warrant was obtained. On Friday, the next day, the team went to execute the search,” he said.
Abubakar gave the names of other members of his team as: Sanusi Abdullahi, Aliyu Abdukadir, Adamu Waziri and Suleiman Mohammed.
He added: “On Friday, February 3, the house caretaker came and identified himself as Mr. Bitrus Yakubu. He said he is the defendant’s (Yakubu’s) brother. After normal introduction, we presented the search warrant to him.
“As is our usual procedure, we asked him to search us. When we asked for the keys to the apartment, he said he does not have the keys, but that he will unlock the place.
“He called an iron bender, who came with breaking tools, to unlock the door to the apartment.
“As is our usual practice, the team is attached with a camera man from the Press Unit of the EFCC, attached to the Kano Zonal office. The name of the camera man is Sulaiman Mohammed.
“While the main door was unlocked, we moved in with Bitrus and the iron bender. We further discovered another store inside. The door was also unlocked by the iron bender.”
“Immediately the inner door was opened, we discovered a grey Bubabi, four panel fireproof safe. We asked Mr. Bitrus about the owner of that safe. He said it belongs to his brother, Engineer Andrew Yakubu.
“We moved the safe out of the apartment, along with Bitrus. We also discovered a white CPU component. Those were the only things we recovered in the apartment,” Abubakar said.
The witness later identified the safe, which the prosecution brought into the courtroom and placed on the left in front of the courtroom.
Ikani later applied to tender the safe as exhibit, which Justice Mohammed admitted when the defence team, led by Ahmed Raji (SAN), did not oppose the prosecution’s application.
Ikani also tendered a copy of the search warrant, with which the EFCC team searched the Kaduna house.
The witness further said: “After discovering the safe, the team, along with Mr. Birtus Yakubu, proceeded to EFCC’s office in Kano , where the Zonal Head of Operation and the other senior officers invited key experts and the safe was unlocked in the presence of Mr. Bitrus Yakubu.
“When the 1st panel was opened, we discovered foreign currencies, specifically U.S. dollars and British Pound Sterling. The unlocking process continued, where all the four panels were found to contain money.
“The Zonal Head further employed the services of some people from a bureau de change, who came with two currency counting machines. And all this processes were covered in a video provided by the EFCC Media Unit.
“And after the money was counted, it was $9,772,800 as well as £74,000 Pound Sterling. No Nigerian naira was found in the safe. Bitrus Yakubu confirmed the amount after it was counted,” Abubakar said.
The witness identified those who signed the paper to include: the Zonal Head of EFCC, Kano Zone, Deputy Zonal Head, members of his team, the Exhibit Keeper, Bitrus Yakubu and people from Bureau de change.
He continued: “We got a paper on which all those, who witnessed the counting, including people hired from the bureau de change, who helped with the counting, signed.
“They all later made statement regarding their roles in the counting. And the money was registered as exhibit. Our Exhibit Keeper was also part of the counting of the money. Mr. Bitrus also voluntarily offered statement.
“Later, the Legal Unit of the EFCC, Kano Zone later filed for an interim forfeiture order in Federal High Court, Kano. The order of temporary forfeiture was granted.
“At the time of this discovery of the money, the defendant was out of the country. He said he went for medical trip. He was contacted on phone and he reported at the Zonal office.
“He came with his counsel, Barrister James Kanyi. He was interviewed in the presence of his lawyer. As it is the usual practice, I was directed by the Zonal Head to record the defendant’s statement.
“I admitted the words of caution, which I read to him and he understood. He signed and voluntarily offered his statement.
“I did not write the statement for the defendant. He wrote it himself, in the presence of his lawyer. The statement he wrote was in three leaves, totalling six pages. The statement was recorded on February 8, 2017.
“After he finished writing, I read it over to him and he signed. I signed it too. I witnessed each page. I took the statement to my team leaders. His other statements were obtained by other team members,” the witness said.
The statement was also admitted in evidence by the court.
Abubakar said the money recovered in the Kaduna house is being kept in the Central Bank, for safe-keeping. The witness said he was part of the team that took the money to the Central Bank of Nigeria in Kano.
“It was counted and sealed and taken to the bank’s Strong Room and a certificate was issued accordingly,” he said.
Under cross-examination by Raji, the witness said the intelligence, on which the EFCC acted, came on February 2, 2017. He added that the money was taken to the CBN after the forfeiture order was obtained.
Abubakar said his involvement in the investigation ended when the money was taken to the CBN
On what he meant when he said the money was recorded as exhibit after it was counted in EFCC’s office, the witness said it is the usual practice that any money discovered in the course of investigation, suspected to be a proceed of crime and subject of investigation, is always registered as exhibit, pending the conclusion of investigation.
Further hearing in the case has been adjourned to May 24 at 1p.m.
