Witness narrates how Nyako’s accounts got credited with N1.2bn

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8 years ago

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, over alleged N29billion fraud on Tuesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja how about N1.2billion was credited into two accounts allegedly connected to a former governor.

The witness, Wueng Agati, a banker with a new generation bank, who was led in evidence by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), gave the name of the accounts as Blue Ribbon and Babangida Inuwa.

Nyako, alongside with his son, Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako, Abubakar Aliyu and Zulkifikk Abba are being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency on a 37-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and money laundering.

Five companies that allegedly used for the illegal diversion of the funds are, the Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited.

The companies were equally charged before the court as the 5th to 9th accused persons respectively.

Narrating what he knew about the matter, Agati, who testified as the 8th prosecution witness (PW8), told Justice Okon Abang how the EFCC wrote his bank in 2014, requesting for the account opening document, certificate of identification and statement of account of several accounts which included Blue Ribbon and Babangida Inuwa.

“In 2014, the EFCC wrote to GTB, requesting for account opening and statement of accounts of Mainstream Energy Limited, Dantshoho Hotel Limited, Alkali Mahmoud, Tower Asset Management Limited, Dantshoho Petroleum Marketing Company Limited, Babangida Inuwa and Blue Ribbon. We generated the documents and forwarded them to the EFCC,” Agati said.

He gave a breakdown of how the over N1billion was credited into the accounts of Blue Ribbon and Babangida Inuwa.

“Blue Ribbon account was first credited with N10million by CIFT FSDH; On December 17, 2012, N20million was paid into the same account by same CIFT FSDH; On December 28 2012, N40million was credited to Blue Ribbon by CIFT/FSDH; The account also got credited with N50million each on February 19, 2013, and March 12, 2013 by CIFT/FSDH.

“On April 17, 2013 N14million was paid into the account (Blue Ribbon) in four tranches. The first tranche of N1million was marked cash deposit by (Blue Opal) by Jelilat Ibrahim. The second lodgment was also N1million, which was marked cash deposit (Blue Opal Nigeria Limited). The third lodgment was N10million and marked customer deposit cheque (Tower Asset Managing Limited/Blue Ribbon Multi links Limited), while the fourth lodgment of N2million was marked customer deposit cheque (Tower Asset management Limited/Blue Ribbson Muiltilinks Limited”, Agati stated.

“On November 12, 2013, a sum of N1,015,740,000 was transferred from the account (Babangida Inuwa) to another bank,” he said.

Justice Abang, thereafter, adjourned to May 3, 2017 for further hearing.

In a related development, the trials of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, in the 10 count charges preferred against him and Iyalikam Nigeria Limited by the Federal Government continues today before Justice Okon Abang.

EFCC, prosecuting Badeh on behalf of the Federal Government led its 17th witness in evidence in Badeh’s trial along with the company on charges bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption to the tune of N3.97 billion.