for PDP South-West. He made a Photocopy of the Draft, which was signed as Acknowledgement Copy
and he had given this Copy to the Defendant.
The Defendant in his Extra-Judicial Statement admitted as Exhibit P13A, had listed the Distribution
of the Ecological Funds to include in Item 3, the “PD S/W” to whom the Sum of One Hundred Million
Naira (N100, 000, 000) was given on the 20th of July 2001. He had indicated on the Side that these
were Two Distinct Transfers to Two Separate Organizations. The Defendant in this Exhibit stated
thus: “These instructions came from me as I was then directed. The PDP S/W Draft of N100m was
collected by Mr. Yomi Edu…(Handwriting and type instruction on the Ecological Fund).”
According to PW1, Musa Sunday, under Cross-Examination the Defendant did not tell him that there
were Conditions attached to receiving the Money. Further, under Cross-Examination, Detective Musa
Sunday stated he did not participate in the investigation involving the return of the Sum of
N100Million in 2004 by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo
that had been initially paid to Mr. Yomi Edu for PDP South-West. It is in evidence that President
Olusegun Obasanjo, on being informed of this Money, returned this Amount allocated to the SouthWest.
When questioned why it was only the Defendant who was charged to Court in respect of the Sums
alleged in the Charge, Detective Musa Sunday responded that Investigations were still ongoing.
Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye had made reference to his Handwritten and Typed Instructions in Exhibit
P4. It is noted that he did not state the REASONS why these Funds were given to the then Honourable
Minister of Special Duties, Mr. Yomi Edu for the benefit of PDP South-West, except to say that he was
directed. He also did not say WHO directed him to make this Payment. More importantly, he did not
say that this Fund was to be used to satisfy any Ecological Needs of Plateau State Government. Yet
again, the Defendant’s Former Lawyer, G.S. Pwul SAN, sought to establish through his line of
Questionings during Cross-Examination, that this Money represented a Pre-Condition to the
Defendant before he got the Money. He had also focused on the Record Time it took for the Processing
and Collection of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Cheque to be a compelling factor for the rapid release
of his SOS Monetary Request.
One fact, which stands as Strong as the Rock of Gibraltar, is that whether or not President Olusegun
Obasanjo received the Sum of N100Million but subsequently returned the Money, does not change the
Act of Disposal, and the Return of this Money, only reinforces the point of an Initial Disposal. This
Disposal, Permanent or Temporal, effected a loss wrongfully incurred, at the time the Disposal
occurred. The Defendant knew that the AllStates Trust Bank Plc. would carry out his Instruction, and
that the Monies precipitating from the Cheque would be disposed to each beneficiary as per his
Instruction.
Therefore, Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye, being a Public Officer, entrusted with the Dominion and Control
of the Ecological Funds for Plateau State, had the Duty to ensure efficient use of the Money belonging
to the Plateau State Government and in the absence of any Reason or Explanation Why PDP SouthWest had to benefit from this Funds, the Court must assume that it was not for any Lawful Reason and
therefore, the Defendant to have breached the Trust reposed on him by the Citizenry of Plateau State.
There was no evidence of Due Process being followed for this Payment, with no Formal Accountability
rendered by Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye to the Plateau State Government. It was expected that he
entered the Witness Box to explain the Reasons Why such Payment was made and there was also no
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