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How Bureau De Change operator delivered N3 billion to Gabriel Suswam cash in Dollars
A Bureau De Change operator and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fanffash Resources, Abubakar Umar, has told the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, how billions of naira in tranches were sent to his bank account on the instruction of former Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State.
He also gave details of how N3.1 billion was transferred to him by “a fair woman” and same converted to dollars in tranches which he delivered in person to Suswam at his Maitama, Abuja residence.
Umar is the Sixth Prosecution Witness in the trial of Suswam by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He revealed that the transactions happened in 2014.
Details were revealed in a statement by Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC, Dele Oyewale, on Saturday.
Suswan, alongside his then Commissioner for Finance, Omodachi Okolobia, are facing 11-count amended charges of money laundering to the tune of N3.1bn, being part of the proceeds from the sales of the state government’s shares held on its behalf by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, sold through Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited.
Umar has been testifying on the matter since 2018, first, before Justice A.R. Mohammed and later Justice Okon Abang. He disclosed that the N3.1bn was transferred to him by Suswam, through the woman, in tranches with the first tranche of N413m hitting his account on August 8, 2014 and the remaining, coming in later to hit N3.1bn.
While being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Umar revealed that he had to change the N3.1bn to dollars, which he said amounted to $15.8 million at the rate of N197 to a dollar and delivered everything to Suswam in his Maitama, Abuja residence.
“One day in 2014, when I was in the office, the former Governor of Benue State asked me to meet him in his house in Maitama, Abuja. I went and met him in the house together with one fair woman. He asked me to give the woman my account number. I gave the woman my Zenith Bank account number. The woman said she would send money into that account.
“On the 8th of August 2014, N413 million was transferred to my account. Based on this, I called the former governor and he told me to change the money to dollars and I asked him to give me time to do that. Three days after I bought the dollar equivalent, I called the former governor and informed him that the money was ready. He now asked me to take the money to his house in Maitama, near Jumat Mosque. I now told him that he should inform the security at the gate that I was coming. If not, they’ll not allow me access into the compound.
“I took a cab to the house. I knocked at the gate and they opened. I told them my name. They opened the first and second gates and I sat in the waiting room where he (Suswam) came and met me. I now brought out the money which we both confirmed to be the equivalent of the N413 million. The exchange rate then was N197.
“On the 12th of September 2014, N637 million was transferred to my account. After about 40 minutes, N363 million was also transferred to my account.
“On 13th October 2014, N630,000,008:50k (Six Hundred and Thirty Million, Eight Thousand and Fifty Naira) was also transferred to my account. On 17th October 2014, N1,068,000,000:00k (One Billion, Sixty-eight Million Naira) was transferred to my account. It is the woman that was directed by the former governor to do the transfers. The total money transferred to my account was N3 billion”.
Umar disclosed that he did not have receipts for the transactions.
“I buy dollars from fellow retailers and only record based on discretion”.
Justice Lifu adjourned the matter till October 4 for continuation of trial.
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Tinubu: My govt has created 650,000 jobs via National MSME clinics In 19 states and FCT
President Bola Tinubu on Monday disclosed that his government has created 650,000 jobs through its National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Clinics in 19 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Tinubu also vowed to remove all bottlenecks militating against Nigerians turning ideas and skills into successful businesses.
The President made this known via his verified X handle, @officialABAT and explained that a tailor should not need millions of naira to buy industrial machinery before she can grow her business while a food processor should not have to build a factory before producing at scale.
This, he stated, informed why the Federal Government, “under our Renewed Hope administration, is investing in shared MSME hubs through our National MSME Clinics, giving entrepreneurs access to modern equipment, reliable power and production facilities without carrying the full cost alone.”
According to Tinubu: “Today, 21 shared facilities across 19 states and the FCT are supporting businesses and an estimated 650,000 jobs. ReadPolitical News
“Nigerians do not lack ideas, skill or ambition. Too often, they lack access to the tools and infrastructure needed to turn them into successful businesses.
“Our job is to remove those barriers.
“When small businesses can produce more, at lower cost, they become more competitive. They grow. They employ more people. They create income and opportunity for Nigerian families.
“Giving Nigerian enterprise the tools to succeed is how we build prosperity from the ground up. That is the Nigeria we are building.”
News
Experts raise alarm on Shawarma, Cancer, Kidney Disease
Health professionals have warned that regular consumption of shawarma containing high amounts of salt, sugar, fat, seasoning and processed meat may contribute to hypertension, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease.
Excessive salt can raise blood pressure and put additional strain on the kidneys, while high-calorie sauces may contribute to weight gain.
Nutrition experts advised Nigerians to eat shawarma in moderation, use less mayonnaise and other sauces, choose lean grilled meat and add more vegetables. Consumers were also urged to check vendors’ cleanliness and avoid food prepared where ingredients are exposed to flies, dust or poor handling.
A recent report by experts also warned that frequent consumption of Shawarma may increase the risk of other food-borne infections and long-term health problems.
The report contains documented cases of people who suffered vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and weakness after eating shawarma, with some requiring hospital treatment.
According to the report, poor hygiene could allow bacteria and other contaminants into shawarma, causing illnesses including cholera, dysentery, typhoid and salmonellosis.
It also raised concerns about mayonnaise and creamy sauces kept without proper refrigeration and warned that poor storage could encourage bacterial growth and increase the risk of food poisoning.
A study cited in the report found bacterial contamination in ready-to-eat shawarma sold on the streets
Experts also raised concerns about processed meat such as sausage, noting that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies processed meat as carcinogenic to humans.
News
Phone communication exposes married woman in the case of Abuja resident who died in a hotel
The mystery surrounding the death of a man whose body was found by the roadside in Abuja has taken a new turn, with police tracing the case through his missing mobile phone to a married woman who allegedly spent time with him at a hotel.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Sanusi, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja, saying investigators arrested Rukayat Muhammed after tracing the deceased’s final communications.
The man was found dead on August 26 along the Kubwa Expressway, near Katampe under the bridge, after his family had earlier reported him missing.
According to the police, the case initially raised suspicion of a possible “one chance” incident. Investigators, however, established that the dead man was the missing person after identifying his remains.
Sanusi said the deceased’s mobile phone was missing and had been switched off. Police investigators subsequently traced his last known communication, leading them to Rukayat, a resident of Garki Area 2.
Investigators reportedly discovered that Rukayat, who is married, was allegedly in a romantic relationship with the deceased. The police said she had saved his contact under the name “Safiyat.”
The CP said the pair had lodged at Good Samaritan Guest House on 2nd Avenue, Gwarinpa, where the man later died.
Sanusi said Rukayat allegedly discovered that the man was no longer breathing but failed to alert the police or hotel management. Instead, she allegedly took his phone and left the hotel.
The case took another turn when hotel management later discovered the man’s body inside the room after attempts to contact the occupants failed.
Rather than reporting the discovery, two hotel staff members, Ibrahim Omeiza and Kefat Bitrus, allegedly removed the body from the room and transported it to the Kubwa Expressway, where they dumped it under the Katampe bridge.
The police said the action was apparently intended to distance the hotel and its management from the death.
Sanusi said detectives were still working to establish exactly how the man died and determine the individual roles of those connected to the incident.
He warned that anyone found to have participated in the death, concealment or abandonment of the body would face prosecution.
The commissioner said the investigation remains ongoing.
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