Further, Mr. Akolo had described his Duty as purely Security and therefore
everywhere the Defendant went, there he went also. Logically, if the
Defendant was in the Governor’s Lodge, it is expected to see Mr. Akolo a
Yard or two away from him. And if, the Defendant was NOT in the
Governor’s Lodge, then it was not expected that Mr. Akolo would be found at
the Governor’s Lodge. If, as Mr. Akolo testified, the Keys are handed to the
House Keeper in the absence of the Governor, then there is a possibility that
someone else, in this instance, the House Keeper would have the Key. The
Orderly Mr. Akolo appears to speak from both sides of his Mouth when he
described an impossible access to when he stated that in the Governor’s
absence, the House Keeper kept the Keys.
The Court has had a very careful look at Exhibit DD at Page 2, which is a
letter, written by the Taraba State Liaison Office Abuja, and notes that the
Memo for the Purchase of Grains, was curiously initiated from Abuja. It was
addressed to the Governor in Taraba State and described the hardship of the
people in Taraba. There is nowhere in this Memo it was indicated that the
need for the Grains arose from the Complaints of Taraba State Indigenes in
Abuja as stated by the Defendant. The Governor had testified that the Grains
were meant for Five Local Government Areas in Taraba State and it is very
curious indeed that it would take the Abuja Liaison Office to recognize and
be concerned about the Poverty Level in Taraba State.
Even if Reverend Jolly Nyame was in Abuja during that period, there is
uncontroverted testimony by Mr. Wubon that the Ministry of Agriculture
and Natural Resources was responsible for all Agricultural Products. They
were the Relevant Ministry, who had the Budget Votes such Agricultural
Products and were to keep Records of Purchases.
PW8,Mr. Abdulrahman Mohammed, the then Accountant of Taraba State
Liaison Office, under Cross-Examination, had stated that the Accountant
General of any State is the Chief Custodian of Government Funds, and the
Purchase of Grains was outside his duty as an Accountant.
159