The First Defence Witness, Mr. Yakubu Bulus, a Retired Civil Servant testified
at great length about the procedure for raising Memos where financial
transactions involved the Government House or the Government Liaison
Office outside Jalingo. He had stated that to the best of his knowledgethat the
Liaison Office of the State Government is under the Office of the Secretary to
the State Government by Budgetary Provisions.
According to him, in the case of the Liaison Office, the Secretary to the State
Government is the Office responsible for raising any Memo for the Governor
on behalf of the Liaison Office. In the case of the Government House, the
Permanent Secretary, Mr. Nev will raise the Memo to the Chief Executive for
his Approval. Usually, Mr. Nev would notify Mr. Wubon that he was sending
Money from Taraba State to the Liaison Office for the Defendant’s use in
Abuja. Mr. Wubon would then instruct him to raise a Cheque, cash it for
onward transmission to the Defendant as Governor.
According to Mr. Abdulrahman, he always went in the company of at least
Two Mobile Policemen to escort him to the Bank, and then would take the
Money to the Governor’s Private Sitting Room, informing him that he had a
message for him from Jalingo. The Defendant as Governor would then ask
him to go upstairs and drop it in an open room, and he would go on his way.
There were times he would meet the Governor in his room upstairs and drop
it. There were also times the Governor was not around, so he would ask the
Steward, Dennis Bobo Umar to open up the room and he would keep the
Money there.
From this explanation, it is clear that Mr. Abdulrahman always had
witnesses around him when he went to collect or drop the Money. He knew
quite well the names of the Household Staff and their responsibilities and
therefore had he not deposited the Funds as directed, the Funds would have
been reported as missing and he would have been indicted.
The Investigating Team of the EFCC would also have raised queries and he
would have been required to produce hard evidence as to its whereabouts. It
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