A prosecution witness in the trial of former Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Chairman, Danladi Yakubu Umar, has told an FCT High Court in Abuja how he allegedly transferred N6 million into the bank account of Umar’s wife on the former chairman’s instructions.
The witness, Oluwatayo Solomon Fashogbon, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Portal Realities Limited and JTF Global Links Limited, gave the account on Thursday while testifying as the first prosecution witness before Justice U.P. Kekemeke.
Umar is standing trial on a four-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged nepotism and the conferment of corrupt advantage on himself, involving a total sum of N15.58 million.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Christopher Mshelia, Fashogbon said the N6 million transfer was made on January 25, 2024, two days after his company received the fourth instalment of payment for a contract awarded by the tribunal.
He told the court that Umar had directed him in September 2021 to approach the CCT Procurement Department and submit his company’s documents for consideration.
According to the witness, he submitted the documents of JTF Global Links Limited, after which the then Deputy Director of Procurement, Akinola Akanji, contacted him on September 22, 2021, to inform him that the company had secured the contract.
The contract, valued at approximately N140 million and scheduled to run for 12 months, covered the digitalisation of the tribunal’s personnel records, stores, accounts and online filing systems.
Fashogbon said his company received four instalments under the agreement, with the first payment of about N9 million made in September 2021, followed by approximately N17 million in December of the same year.
He added that a third payment of about N16 million was received in July 2022, while the fourth instalment, estimated at N17 million, was paid on January 23, 2024.
The witness alleged that Umar contacted him two days after the final payment and instructed him to transfer N6 million to a Zenith Bank account belonging to his wife, Mrs Zulaihatu Danladi Umar.
He said the money was transferred from the Wema Bank account of Portal Realities Limited.
Fashogbon also told the court that he facilitated payments for the university education of Umar’s two children following another alleged request conveyed through Akanji in October 2024.
He said he paid approximately N2 million into Baze University’s account for Umar’s son, Yakubu Danladi Umar, using the Jaiz Bank account of Portal Realities Limited.
According to him, a similar payment was made for the former CCT chairman’s daughter, Faiza Umar Danladi, from the same company account.
During the proceedings, the prosecution tendered the contract award letter as evidence. Fashogbon identified the document through the logos of the tribunal and his company, as well as the signature and dates appearing on it.
Justice Kekemeke admitted the document in evidence and marked it as Exhibit A.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, S. Edward, the witness maintained that he was qualified to execute government contracts, citing previous engagements with the CCT and other public institutions.
He also insisted that the contracts awarded to his companies were based on their qualifications and the documents submitted during the procurement process.
The court adjourned the case until January 20, 2027, for continuation of hearing.
