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The first prosecution witness (PW1) in the trial of former Taraba Governor, Darius Ishaku on Tuesday said he does know the total amount he collected on his behalf the governor.
\nIsmail Lawal (PW1) who was a Personal Assistant to the former governor testified at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court Maitama , Abuja.
\nIshaku and Bello Yero, a former Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for financial fraud allegations.
\nThey are before Justice Sylvanus Oriji, on a 15-count charge, marked FCT\/HC\/CR\/ 792\/2024, bordering on criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of public funds to the tune of N27 billion.
\nThe former governor and his co-defendant, however, pleaded not guilty.
\nAt the resumed sitting, Lawal (PW1), told the court under cross examination by counsel for the former governor, Paul Ogbole SAN, that he collected cash on behalf of the first defendant.
\nHe said although he collected money, but he does not know the total amount and the dates he collected the money.
\n\u201cI collected the first defendant\u2019s earned allowances and distributed them based on his instructions.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know the total amount I received on his behalf. I also don\u2019t know the dates,\u201d the witness told the court.
\nHe further said that he too was paid allowances for working with the former governor.
\nHe added that he was paid N20,000 allowance per day anytime he travelled with his principal.
\nLawal said that he was paid N130,000 monthly salary and had a poultry farm at Kubwa, Abuja, with 6,000 birds while working with the former governor.
\n\u201cThe birds were 6,000 then but as of today, they are 2,000. The capacity has diminished.
\n\u201cAs of then, the poultry\u2019s value was about N5million. It is being run by my father and me,\u201d he said.
\nWhen shown his notebook he made entries of allowances he collected earlier tendered as exhibit by the prosecution, the witness told the court that the entries were not counter signed by those he collected monies from.
\nHe further said that the notebook was neither a government record nor banking record, adding that the recording he did in the notebook was between him and the former governor.
\nAnswering other questions, Lawal told the court that he was asked to go to Lagos by the first defendant and said that he lodged in hotels, paying N20,000 daily, amounting to N600,000 per month.
\nAccording to him, \u201cI was asked to go to Lagos by His Excellency (Ishaku). That was not the first time I had been to Lagos; I have friends and relatives there.
\n\u201cI stayed in hotels in Lagos. I paid bills for the time I stayed there at N20,000 per day, totalling N600,000 per month. I spent one and seven months there.\u201d
\nHe, however, said that he did not tender any hotel receipts, adding that EFCC operatives that arrested him in his hotel room in Lagos carted away some documents, including some of the receipts.
\nThe PW1 told the court that he was taken to the EFCC Lagos office when he was arrested and was brought to Abuja from there same day.
\nHe added that he made statement to the anti-graft agency in Lagos.
\nJustice Oriji after listening to the testimony, adjourned the case until October 20 for continuation of cross examination of the PW1. (NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The first prosecution witness (PW1) in the trial of former Taraba Governor, Darius Ishaku on Tuesday said he does know…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[531,1620],"class_list":["post-7773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-economic-and-financial-crimes-commission","tag-gov-darius-ishaku"],"yoast_head":"\n