The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, on March 8, 2016 presented another witness, Alhaji Suraju Ahmadu, in the
ongoing trial of Alhaji Sule Lamido, erstwhile governor of Jigawa State, who is
being prosecuted by the Commission on a 27-count charge bordering on abuse of
office and money laundering before Justice Adeniyi
Ademola of the Federal High Court Maitama, Abuja.
Lamido, who is being prosecuted
alongside his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, and two others, allegedly
abused his position as governor between 2007 and 2015 by awarding contracts to
companies where he had interest, using his two sons as fronts.
The former governor was
equally alleged to have collected kickbacks from contractors in the state, with
the funds allegedly paid into accounts that were managed by his sons.
Ahmadu, who testified as PW12, while being led
in evidence by Chile Okoroma, counsel to EFCC, told the court that, he knew
Lamido, his sons and Aminu Wada Abubakar (fourth defendant) very well.
Ahmadu, who is the Chief Executive Officer, CEO,
Rauda Integrated Services Limited denied executing any contracts in Jigawa
State aside the construction of a hospital, a staff quarters, as well as the
deployment of motorized boreholes providing solar energy in Jigawa State.
He further denied authorizing any other person
to take decisions regarding the company on his behalf.
It would be recalled
that, a witness, Joy Isen, had on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 presented to the
court, account opening packages and statements of account of Dantata and Sawoe
Construction Company, Interior Woodworks Limited and Rauda Integrated Services
Limited which were admitted in evidence as exhibits EFCC 28a-p, EFCC 29, EFCC
30 and EFCC 31
When shown the documents today, Ahmadu denied
knowledge of it and how they came to be.
The witness further told the court that, the
documents he was shown were markedly different from his company documents.
The prosecution counsel then presented invoices
used in the execution of different contracts which noticeably had the same
invoice number - Exhibit 46, a, d and f. He also presented an invoice
booklet with invoice numbers in ascending order which the witness identified as
genuine documents for his own company.
This booklet was
admitted in evidence by the court as Exhibit 47.
However, under
cross-examination, Ahmadu stated that, there were no financial transactions
between him and the 3rd defendant, Mustapha Sule Lamido, aside the sale of his
Prudent Bank (now Skye Bank) shares valued at a total of N5.8million, and the
purchase of a N2.4million Honda Accord from the defendant.
Agbi, SAN, however picked hole in Ahmadu’s two
statements previously rendered to the EFCC on April 29, 2014 and August 4, 2015,
where alleged that the shares sold were Inland Bank shares - totaling
N10million, and the car purchased was at a sum of N2.5million.
Attempts by the prosecution counsel to further
clarify on the matter led to a 'technicality-battle' between the two counsels
as the defence posits that the witness' testimony was not ambiguous.
Both statements were admitted by the court as
Exhibits 50 and 51.
Thereafter, Justice Ademola adjourned the matter
to March 9, 2016 for ruling on the issue of re-examination by the prosecution
and further hearing.
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