State. He was also told to give the Bank Account Officer the Complimentary
Card, as he would know what to do.
The Cheque of N135, 000, 000.00 was duly paid into Alusab’s Account with
Zenith Bank Plc. in Jalingo and he paid the Sum of N80, 000, 000.00 as per
the Complimentary Card.
After withdrawing the Sum of Ten Million, Two Hundred, and Fifty Thousand
Naira (N10, 250, 000.00) from the Company’s Account, Mr. Suleiman
Abubakar went back to his Hotel and later visited the Commissioner of
Finance, Abubakar Tutare at his Residence in the night, where he met him in
the company of several people. The Commissioner instructed one of his
House Aides by name Husseini Ali to follow him to collect something. At an
unnamed empty street, the House Aide confirmed the amount, and the Sum
of Ten Million Naira (N10, 000, 000.00) was transferred into the Aide’s Car
and they parted ways.
Based on Mr. Suleiman Abubakar’s explanations, the EFCC commenced
investigation and the Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Abubakar Tutare, was
invited. Alhaji Tutare confirmed the rendition of Mr. Suleiman Abubakar, but
stated that he acted on the instruction of the then Governor of Taraba State,
Rev. Jolly Tevoru Nyame, to pay the Sum of N80, 000, 000.00 into Salman
Global Ventures Nigeria Limited’s Account.
The EFCC subsequently discovered that there were Purchases of Stationeries
by the Taraba State Government in the Sum of Two Hundred, and Fifty
Million (N250, 000, 000) in January 2005, another in the Sum of N200, 000,
000.00 in February 2005 and yet another worth N20, 000, 000.00 in October
2005. Alhaji Abubakar Tutare was yet again confronted with these new sets
of facts, and based on his response, Some Officials of the Ministry of Finance
in Taraba State were invited, questioned and their Statements were taken.
Further investigation took Members of the Investigating Team, including Mr.
Ibrahim Galadima and Mr. Ishaq Salihu Ismael, to the Government House in
47