The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told a High Court sitting in Abuja how N4.6 billion was allegedly diverted to finance the 2015 gubernatorial election in Sokoto State.

An officer of the EFCC, Kazeem Yusuf, disclosed this while testifying as the second prosecution witness in the trial of former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

Others charged in the case are former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd); former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa; his son, Sagir; and a company, Dalhatu Investment Limited, owned by Bafarawa.

EFCC charged them with 25-count misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, and receiving stolen property.

Led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the witness told the court that based on a petition received from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the former EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, constituted a team to investigate the case of arms.

The witness told the court that in the course of the investigation, it was discovered that “Dalhatu Investment Limited was one of the 78 companies alleged to have received money from ONSA without any documents to show that they bided for contracts.”

He said there were no documents showing a contractual agreement between the companies and ONSA.

Yusuf stated that an analysis of the statement of account of Dalhatu Investment Limited obtained by EFCC from a bank revealed that the company got N4.6 billion.

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He added that the amount was paid in instalments between 2014 and 2015, saying N783 million, being part of the money came from the SAS account.

Yusuf further claimed that Sagir represented the company.

“He told the EFCC team in his statement that the money was meant for prayers for the country because of the insecurity that was prevalent at that time,” the officer of the anti-graft agency said.

Yusuf disclosed that Sagir later gave a breakdown of how the N4.6 billion was spent, including a list of beneficiaries.

The witness listed the beneficiaries to include Amb. Abdallah Wali who received N580 million from the company, which he (Wali) later told EFCC that the money was meant for the 2015 gubernatorial election in Sokoto State.

He added that Wali also told the EFCC team that Muazu Madawaki, received N322 million, and was invited, noting that Madawaki told the investigators that the amount was for the payment of Hajj for some Sokoto State indigenes.

According to the witness, other beneficiaries were the former Sokoto State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Maigoma (N111 million); Yahaya Ahmed Dada (N327,549,000); Sani Kabir (N159 million); INEC (N293,500,000), among others.

Yusuf added that the money received by Wali was sent through a company, Development Strategies International Limited, owned by Islam Wali and Mohammed Wali, both cousins to Abdallah Wali.

The EFCC further told the court that parts of the money meant for supplies of security equipment, including hand-held devices, were used to procure a Lexus car.

He disclosed that a Hilux van and 16 Peugeot 206 cars were distributed to PDP local government chairmen in Sokoto State.

Yusus, however, stated that 14 of the Peugeot 206 vehicles were recovered in the course of the investigation.

The witness said one Amanze Obi received N15.3 million for political publicity for Attahiru Bafawara’s 2015 presidential campaign.

He further told the court that about £123,000 was transferred to a bank in the United Kingdom to offset a mortgage for Bafarawa, while N1 billion was sent to Bureaux de Change for conversion to dollars.

The witness revealed that N4.6 billion came to Dalhatu Investment Limited from both the ONSA and SAS accounts, adding that the amount was sent to the account of the company.

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“We wrote a letter to the then NSA, Major-General Mohammed Monguno. He confirmed that the monies were just diverted without executing any contracts,” Yusuf said.

When the prosecuting counsel sought to tender Sagir’s statements through the witness, his counsel, Prof. J.O Olatoke (SAN), objected to their admissibility on the ground that they were not voluntarily obtained.

Olatoke told the court that the statements were made based on inducement, intimidation, receipt, and invitation to settlement.

The lawyer, therefore, prayed the court to grant them trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of the statements.

Based on this, the presiding judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of the statements made by Sagir.

Justice Halilu, therefore, adjourned the trial until February 14, 2024.

The Star