Managing Director, he had a responsibility to his Bank, to ensure growth, to stay afloat and to protect
investments.
Mr. Mike Abdul, detailed his Sources of Income when he was Deputy Governor of Nassarawa State,
and as a Public Servant, he could not engage in businesses but could only indirectly partake. He was
never solicited by any Bank nor paid any commission whilst he, was Deputy Governor of Nassarawa
State.
Further, he reiterated the point that Exhibit D10, the Letter dated the 11th of November 2004
authored by his Subordinate, the then General Manager, Credit and Marketing Division of Lion Bank,
was written in error as regards the Three Drafts. He was then shown Exhibit D11, in regard to the
Draft Numbers mentioned, which had no Amount or Date stated, and he answered that he failed to
state these Dates because those details were contained in an Earlier Letter.
The Prosecution then questioned him in regard to the Cheque dated the 25th of January 2001, issued
by the Plateau State Investment Property Company Ltd, as well as the Draft of Six Million Naira
purchased from the Plateau State Water Board Account Number 013001612. Also, in the same
stream, he was showed the Draft No. 81504 in Exhibit D12 also dated the 25th of January 2001,
which he identified and confirmed. When shown Exhibit P11 at Page 9, he re-identified the Draft No.
81504 but stated the date was 17th January 2001. He gave a similar response in regard to the Six
Million Naira Draft No. 81503 in Exhibit D10, as well as the Cheque used to pay the Commission of
Eight Million Naira and sought to justify the Disparity in the Dates, on the basis that at that time, the
Bank had just moved its Headquarters and he was in EFCC custody in Lagos for Three Days when the
flimsy mistake was made.
After his return, he wrote a Memo dated the 15th of December 2004 to the Board of Directors, wherein
he explained all that had transpired, and the Memo was tendered by the Prosecution without any
Objection and admitted as Exhibit D13. When asked if he mentioned the Three Errors in his Memo,
he stated that the Letters were annexed to the Memo, but he did not state in the Memo that there was
an Error. He did not take part in correcting the Errors in the Letter of the 10th November 2004, but his
Officers did, in another Letter dated the 14th of November 2004.
He could not remember providing information on the Account Payable of the Three Cheques. He
confirmed writing to the Director of the State Security Service (SSS), which the Prosecution tendered
without Objection and was admitted as Exhibit D14, wherein he had chronicled Cheques in favour of
AllStates Trust Bank Plc., but could not say if all the Cheques were issued in favour of Joshua Chibi
Dariye.
Again, he was shown Exhibit D10, where an Instruction to issue a Cheque of 53.6Million Naira from
the Accountant General’s Account was made, and he confirmed the Cheque to be the same Draft
contained in Exhibit P11 at Page12. He explained that at the time he wrote Exhibit D14, he was
aware that the EFCC and SSS were investigating the Defendant, and had informed the EFCC that he
had earlier supplied information to the SSS.
He did not know that the Cheques were meant for the Defendant, as the Account Signatories
instructed Lion Bank to issue Drafts in favour of AllStates Trust Bank Plc., and their instructions were
in accordance with their Mandate. He confirmed from Exhibit D14, that other Account Holders from
Lion Bank, issued Drafts to AllStates Trust Bank Plc. on the instructions of Plateau State Government,
such as: -
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