Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The high profile anti corruption trial of the former Governor of Taraba State, Darius Dickson Ishaku, and a former senior civil servant took a significant step forward as explosive insider testimonies revealed how billions of naira in public funds were systematically diverted through private bank accounts. Proceedings resumed on Monday, June 15, 2026, before Justice S.C. Oriji at the Federal Capital Territory High Court located in the Maitama district of Abuja. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is currently prosecuting the former state executive alongside Bello Yero, who previously served as the Permanent Secretary in the Taraba State Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, on an extensive fifteen count criminal charge. The state prosecutors allege that the two officials orchestrated a massive criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and unlawful conversion of public funds amounting to an aggregate of twenty seven billion naira during their time in public office.
During the Monday court session, the anti graft agency presented its third prosecution witness, Taiwo Johns, a civil servant who provided an intimate look into the operational logistics of the alleged financial syndicate. Johns told the court that he originally operated a corporate bank account under the name P3 International Account to manage his private farming enterprise before he eventually transitioned into public service. He was later appointed as an assistant cashier within the state Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, a positioning that brought him into direct contact with the senior management teams responsible for local government allocations. The witness testified that instead of utilizing official government channels, top administrative figures instructed him to hand over his private corporate bank details to serve as an irregular repository for incoming local government allocations from across Taraba State.
According to the detailed testimony delivered under oath, Johns stated that he was explicitly directed by senior officers to wait for specific administrative instructions whenever funds arrived in his account. He identified his immediate supervisors and superiors, including the former Chief Cashier, John Columba, the former Director of Finance, Babangida Hassan, and the second defendant, Bello Yero, as the individuals who authorized the financial structure. Johns explained that a few days after submitting his corporate bank account information, various local government cashiers began depositing substantial sums of money directly into his private corporate account. Upon receiving the automated credit alerts, the assistant cashier would immediately report the transaction to Columba, who would then inform Hassan, who would ultimately clear the transaction with Yero before a final directive was issued.
When questioned by the lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, regarding the exact methods used to empty the account, Johns revealed a dual system of cash withdrawals and structured third party bank transfers. The witness testified that he would frequently execute large over the counter cash withdrawals or leave the funds idle in the commercial bank while awaiting definitive verbal orders from his superiors. In several instances, senior officials would provide him with specific external bank accounts to lodge the diverted public funds. On other occasions, administrative officers arrived accompanied by an individual identified as Lawal, who served as the personal assistant to Governor Ishaku, and Johns would physically hand over massive bundles of cash directly to the political aide for onward delivery.
To substantiate his claims, Johns presented a comprehensive chronological breakdown of specific transactions executed through his private bank account between 2017 and 2018. The witness informed the court that on November 20, 2017, a sum of three million naira originating from local government funds was credited to his account, which was subsequently bundled with an additional two million two hundred and fifty thousand naira. On the explicit instructions of his superiors, the total amount of five million two hundred and fifty thousand naira was transferred within a single day to Prince Onwuzuruike, who is testifying as the second prosecution witness. Johns further disclosed that on February 6, 2018, his account received seven million seven hundred and fifty thousand naira, out of which he immediately wired six million two hundred and fifty thousand naira to Onwuzuruike.
The transaction logs grew more complex as the witness detailed multiple inflows that occurred in April 2018. On April 11, 2018, the Chief Cashier, John Columba, funneled three separate deposits consisting of five million naira, one million seven hundred thousand naira, and one million eight hundred thousand naira into the private account. Johns noted that a massive cash withdrawal was performed on April 16, 2018, based on a direct instruction from the Director of Finance, Babangida Hassan. Later that month, on April 26, 2018, the account received a credit of over four million seven hundred thousand naira, which was instantly split into transfers of four million seven hundred and eighty thousand naira and three million two hundred and twenty thousand naira to Onwuzuruike, followed by additional heavy cash deposits and outgoing transfers the next day.
This public trial represents a major milestone in the long term anti corruption campaign initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which originally arrested Ishaku and Yero in late September 2024. The former governor, who held executive power in Taraba State from 2015 to 2023, has consistently denied all fifteen charges alongside Yero, with both defendants maintaining their absolute innocence since their initial arraignment. Legal analysts note that the outcome of this multi billion naira case hinges heavily on the ability of prosecutors to link the informal cash movements described by civil service cashiers directly to the executive approvals of the principal defendants.
Justice S.C. Oriji officially adjourned the matter until July 7, 2026, for the continuation of the trial, allowing the defense teams adequate time to prepare their cross examinations as more witnesses are slated to appear. The next phase of the legal battle will likely witness further intense scrutiny of corporate bank statements and internal government memos as the anti graft agency tries to secure a definitive conviction against the former state officials who are accused of plundering massive public funds meant for local government development across Taraba State.
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