The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on April 11, 2016 presented more witnesses in the ongoing trial of a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha, and two others before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of a Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja.
They are being prosecuted on a 27 counts bordering on the abuse of office and money laundering.Prosecution witness, Micheal Wetkas, an operative of the EFCC, who testified as PW18, said Lamido, his sons, and cohorts received kickbacks.
He told the court that investigations into the alleged fraud started in 2007 through to 2015.
He said, “We discovered that Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company, which executed over 21 contracts (for the Jigawa State Government) totalling almost N30bn, had paid over N1bn into the accounts of Speeds International Limited and Bamaina Holding Company – both accounts whose sole signatory is Alhaji Sule Lamido.”
The witness added that N100m was paid into the bank account of Speeds International Limited, believed to be owned by Mustapha, a son of the ex-governor.
The money was paid under the pretext that it was meant for the payment of a subcontractor.
Wetkas added, “Investigations also revealed that about N100m of third party cheques were cleared into the Access Bank Account of Speeds International Limited, where Mustapha Sule Lamido is a signatory.
“These revelations resulted in the invitation of the Managing Director of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company, one Mr. Udo, to the commission, where Udo claimed that the monies paid were for sub-contracts awarded by Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company to the defendants’ companies for supplies of bitumen, diesel and steel iron rods – construction consumables used by the company.
“A close inspection of Dantata and Sawoe’s electronic records, physical books, financial statements, consumable journals, and waybills by the investigators and the forensic team revealed discrepancies which could not be explained.”