News
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.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
-
News2 years agoBreaking: Tinubu’s authentic ministerial nominees
-
News2 years ago“Anytime we want to kill terrorists, President would ask us to take permission from France but they were killing our soldiers-” Niger Republic coup leader
-
News2 years ago“I’m leaving the Catholic church because Bishop Onah is oppressing me,” says Okunerere
-
News2 months agoSenate to speed up conclusion of Nigeria Forest Security Service Bill
-
News2 years agoDokpesi and the Gazebo Mystique
-
News2 years agoRadio Nigeria’s veteran broadcaster Kelvin Ugwu dies three months after retirement from service
-
News1 year agoPersons against Allagoa’s reforms behind protests at NSITF
-
News2 years agoTsunami: Tinubu orders dissolution of managements, boards of MDAs, to sack all Buhari’s political appointees