The Governor Advised Me To Run Away For Six Months Over Alleged N27b Fraud, Witness Tells Court

<h4>&NewLine;The Governor Advised Me To Run Away For Six Months<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<h4><&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that the First Prosecution Witness&comma; PW1&comma; Ismail Lawal in the trial of the former governor of Taraba State&comma; Darius Dickson Ishaku on Wednesday&comma; July 2&comma; 2025&comma; informed Justice S&period;C&period; Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court&comma; Maitama&comma; Abuja&comma; that Ishaku advised him to run away for a period of six months&comma; so as not to report to the EFCC that needed him for its investigations concerning the former governor&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Ishaku&comma; the first defendant&comma; is facing prosecution by the EFCC alongside a former permanent secretary&comma; Bureau for Local government and Chieftaincy Affairs&comma; Bello Yero&comma; on a 15-count charge&comma; bordering on criminal breach of trust&comma; conspiracy and conversion of public fund to the tune of N27&comma;000&comma;000&comma;000&period;00 &lpar;Twenty -seven Billion Naira&rpar;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Speaking under cross-examination by the first defendant’s counsel&comma; P&period; H&period; Ogbole&comma; SAN&comma; the witness disclosed that as the EFCC was closing in on him in furtherance of its investigation of the first defendant&comma; he was then advised by the first defendant to run away for six months adding that the Commission arrested him while he was planning to submit himself to it&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I was invited to come to the EFCC and was planning to go before His Excellency asked me to stay out&period; When he asked me to go&comma; I asked how long and he said six months&comma; but people have gone ahead of me and have given statements against me that they gave me money&comma; so if the EFCC asked me to come and I did not come at that time&comma; meaning they may be suspecting that I took the money&comma;” he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He further stated that he was detained by the EFCC for 40 days because he couldn’t meet up with the conditions of the administrative bail&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I was in EFCC detention for 40 days because I couldn&&num;8217&semi;t meet the bail conditions&period; I was given bail conditions on the second or third day&period; I also made statements before I was asked to bring sureties”&comma; he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The witness also stated that he was in no position to ascertain if the assignments he undertook for the first defendant were legitimate or not&comma; adding that he wouldn’t have carried them out if he knew they were illegitimate&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I have no knowledge of what was going on in the offices or the communication between His Excellency and the people&period; My own was to go where I was told to collect money&comma; based on instructions&period; So I wouldn’t know what the money was meant for&period; My own was to follow instructions&period; I wouldn&&num;8217&semi;t have done them if I knew they were illegitimate assignments&comma;” he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Testifying further&comma; he said&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;punchng&period;com&sol;">assignment<&sol;a> I have been given&comma; I carry out&period; I wouldn’t know the communication or relationship between the governor and the people whom I was taking the money from&period; I was only under the assignment which I did&period; And as a governor&comma; I didn’t believe he was sending me to carry out illegitimate assignments at that time&period; Mine is just to follow instructions to collect money&comma; pay into accounts and bring the rest to him&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He further informed the court that the EFCC did not promise or assure him that it will use him as a prosecution witness against the first defendant&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I was not informed that I would be a prosecution witness&comma; until I read it in the dailies&comma; then the EFCC informed me that I will be a witness&period; I was just asked questions which I answered&period; Documents were shown to me&comma; I was asked questions based on those documents&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Justice Oriji adjourned the matter till September 30 and October 15 and 20 and November 6&comma; 2025 for continuation of cross-examination and continuation of trial&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;