An EFCC witness, Mr Ishaq Salihu’
on Thursday told an FCT High Court
how millions of naira approved for
stationeries by former Taraba
governor, Jolly Nyame,
misappropriated
Salihu, an operative of the
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), who
investigated the alleged N1.64
billion fraud, said that N470 was
released for stationeries in 2005.
He said that N250 million was first
approved by Nyame on Dec.30, 2004
upon request made by the
Commissioner for Finance,
Abubakar Tutare, on Dec.28, 2004.
The witness said the purchase of
these bulk stationeries and office
equipment for Taraba ministries
and parastatals was supposed to be
by “direct labour’’as stipulated by
Tutare.
He said the `direct labour’
consisted of a committee of civil
servants and auditors who were to
make the purchases directly from
the market to cut cost and not
through contract.
Instead, the money was paid into
Salman Global Ventures account
owned by Ibrahim Abubakar, a third
party and friend of Nyame.
“A third party that neither bidded,
applied nor requested for the
purchase of stationeries issued a
receipt of payment of N250 million
which he supplied nothing.
“The money was lodged in Pacific
bank in fixed deposit and it yielded
an interest of N1.6 million ,’’ Salihu
said.
He said in February, 2005, another
N200 million was released for the
purchase of stationeries again.
Salihu told the court that out of this
figure, N165 million was paid into
the account of Salman Global, N16
million was used for the purchase
of stationeries from one Babangaru.
He also said that N15 million was
given to the Deputy Speaker, Taraba
House of Assembly, two million
naira went to the Permanent
Secretary and N10 million to the
Commissioner for Finance.
He said the rest was shared to the
staff of the Ministry of Finance who
all testified to that and recoveries
were initiated and part of the
monies returned to the EFCC.
The witness said ion Oct 5, 2005, the
Secretary to the State Government
again applied for the purchase of
stationeries for his office which was
in lack and N20 million was
approved.
During cross examination, by
Hassan Fajimiti, Counsel to the
defence, Salihu told the court that
Salman Global was as elusive as air
and could not be reach during
investigation.
Justice Adebukola Banjoko
adjourned the matter till Oct.19
(NAN)