A witness on Tuesday told a Federal High High Court in Abuja how former Governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye shared N1.162bn belonging to the state. Musa Sunday, a witness and also a detective of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission gave details of how Dariye diverted ecological funds in 2004.

 

Sunday, an investigator with the EFCC was cross-examined by Dariye’s lawyer, Garba Pwul (SAN) on Tuesday after he was led in evidence by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), under cross-examination gave a detailed breakdown of how Dariye allegedly disbursed the N1.16bn to his political associates and officials of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, in Plateau State.

 

According to him, investigation by his team of detectives found that the former governor gave former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar's company the sum of N100m. The money was traced to the ex-Vice-President's company named Marine Float Nigeria Limited.

 

“The Ecological Fund Office is under the Presidency but the Office of the Vice-President oversees it and the vice-president chairs the agency’s activities. The vice-president at that time was Alhaji Abubakar Atiku,” the witness said.

 

He also said a former Minister of Special Duties, Yomi Edu got N100m, N80m was given to then Permanent Secretary of the Ecological Fund Office in the Presidency, Kingsley Nkoma; N10m to a former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, N6.8m to the PDP Plateau State and N66m to 274 PDP wards in the state.

 

He also read out a portion of the statement made by Dariye to the EFCC he wrote in July 2007 of how he distributed the money among his political cronies.

 

When given Dariye’s statement to read, the witness read from page 10 of the statement marked Exhibit P13(A) which highlighted how Dariye gave a breakdown of how he disbursed the N1.162bn received from the Ecological Fund Office.

 

“In the course of investigation, Marine Float was found to be a company owned by the former Vice-President, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku. As at when the money was paid, the Vice- President was the Chairman of Ecological Fund Office,” the witness said.

 

He denied knowledge whether the N100m was recovered from Atiku.

 

When Pwul suggested to the witness that the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo, returned to Plateau State in 2004 the N100m paid to the South-West PDP by Dariye, the witness denied knowledge of such development.

 

He added that investigation into the issue revealed that Dariye paid N80m to the then Permanent Secretary of the Ecological Fund Office, Kingsley Nkoma, “for facilitating the prompt release of N1.62bn ecological funds to the state.

 

“The N80m paid in favour of Union Savings and Loan, was traced to Kingsley Nkoma, Permanent Secretary of Ecological Fund Office. We recovered the N80m from Nkoma, who said that was his share for facilitating the release of the money. That was the bribe he collected.

 

“Investigation proved, while he was invited, that the N80m paid to him through Union Savings and Loan was a bribe money paid to him by the defendant. The money was recovered from him. The N80m registered from Nkoma is registered as exhibit and it is with the EFCC. When we invited him, Nkoma said that that was his share of the money and he was made to return it.”

 

The witness restated his earlier claim that Dariye made his banker, All States Trust Bank (now defunct) to conceal his identity.

 

He said their investigation revealed that the mandate card for the account allegedly operated by a firm linked to Dariye – Ebenezer Ritnan Venture – did not carry anybody’s photograph as required.

 

He said they were able to uncover the company’s true ownership by Dariye’s signature on the mandate form.

 

He said Dariye allegedly diverted his share of the N1.162bn into the company’s account.

 

The witness said the bank and its officials, who claimed to have granted Dariye waiver by not including his photograph in the account opening documents, had since been convicted by a Federal High Court in Kaduna for aiding fraud.

 

The trial judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko, adjourned further hearing till noon on Wednesday (today).