On Monday, a witness for the prosecution presented evidence in the case against former Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja. The witness detailed how he purportedly received money from various local governments in Taraba State and from individuals connected with the state government during Ishaku's time in office.
Prince Onwuzunike took the stand as the second prosecution witness in the corruption trial involving Ishaku and Bello Yero, who served as the Permanent Secretary of the Taraba State Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs while Ishaku was governor from 2015 to 2023.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Ishaku and Yero with 15 counts of criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and the fraudulent conversion of N27 billion of state funds. The EFCC alleges the two misappropriated funds from the state’s Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and other local government authorities for personal gain. Both defendants have denied these allegations.
In his testimony, Onwuzunike stated that he received significant sums from the Gashaka and Yorro local government areas, as well as from individuals and companies associated with the state government, between 2017 and 2019 using an account at Zenith Bank. He explained that this arrangement began due to a personal relationship with Yero, where he was instructed to expect funds from an individual named Taiwo Jones.
The witness recounted that, following the deposit of these funds, he would withdraw cash and hand it over to Ismail Lawal, former personal aide to Ishaku and the first prosecution witness in the trial.
Focusing on transaction specifics, Onwuzunike testified about receiving multiple payments for Yero from various Taraba State local government entities from 2019 to 2020, along with money received from Jones and P3 Cornerstone, which he claimed belonged to Jones.
In detail, Onwuzunike noted he received N4 million from Taiwo Jones on November 6, 2017, and various additional payments on November 10, 2017, totaling N42.3 million, which he withdrew and delivered in cash to Lawal. He described further transfers on February 6, 2018, which included N14 million from P3 Cornerstone and N6.6 million from Jones, followed by a larger cash withdrawal totaling over N20 million for Lawal.
He reported multiple similar cash transactions from various local government areas and other parties through 2018 and into 2019. Notably, on April 4, 2019, he received N16 million from John Columba and N10.7 million from Jones, subsequently withdrawing over N50 million for Lawal, with the specifics of Columba's involvement not yet clarified.
In July 2019 alone, Onwuzunike stated he collected N25 million from Gashaka LGA and N28.5 million from Yorro LGA. Earlier in 2016, he mentioned smaller amounts received from Jones; however, the purpose of these lesser sums appeared unrelated to the state’s funds, described instead as personal transactions.
Following Onwuzunike’s testimony, the trial judge, Slyvannus Orji, scheduled the next session for cross-examination on February 10.
Lawal, the initial prosecution witness, similarly discussed funds he reportedly collected from Yero on behalf of Ishaku, mentioning financial ties with Emmanuel Ifun, the Director of Finance at the Government House. Despite various claims regarding distribution, Lawal acknowledged that the former governor’s name was absent from his bank statements, only identifying transactions linked to Ishaku's company, Worthy Construction Limited.
In this ongoing case, the prosecution seeks to establish the financial activities of both Ishaku and Yero, reflecting on their time managing substantial public resources in Taraba State.
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