A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja how about N1.2 billion was credited into two accounts allegedly connected to a former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, who is facing trial for N29 billion fraud.
Wueng Agatii, a banker with the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), who was led in evidence by counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, gave the name of the accounts as Blue Ribbon and Babangida Inuwa.
Nyako is being prosecuted along his son, Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako, Abubakar Aliyu and Zulkifikk Abba on a 37-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and money laundering.
Five companies that allegedly served as conduit pipes for the illegal diversion of the funds-Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and
Crust Energy Limited, 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 PW8, told the court 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.
The documents were presented and admitted in evidence as follow: account opening, statement of accounts and certificate of identification for Babangida Inuwa – Exhibit AC1; account opening, statement of accounts and certificate of identification for Dantshoho Hotel Limited – Exhibit AC2; account opening, statement of accounts and certificate of identification for Alkali Mahmoud – Exhibit AC3; account opening, statement of accounts and certificate of identification for Mainstream Energy Limited – Exhbit AC4; account opening, statement of accounts and certificate of identification for Blue Ribbon MultiLinks Limited – Exhibit AC5 and account opening, statement of accounts and certificate of identification for Tower Asset Management Limited – Exhibit AC6.
The PW8 went on by giving 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 Multilink Limited”, Agati stated.
When asked to take a look at Exhibit AC1 and tell the court the transfer that was done from the account, Agati said, “On November 12, 2013, a sum of N1,015,740,000 (One billion, Fifteen Million, Seven Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira) was transferred from the account (Babangida Inuwa) to another bank.”
Justice Abang, thereafter, adjourned to May 3, 2017, for further hearing.