By: Valentine Adese (JP),
The Witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abubakar Hassan has told the Plateau State High Court trying Sen. Jonah Jang and one Yusuf Pam (A Secretary serving at the office of the SSG) that, the two Defendants were not authors nor did they sign any of the documents, letters and appendixes he was accosted with by the Counsel of the EFCC, Rotime Jacobs (SAN).
Abubakar who said he is an Assistant Director with Universal Basic Education Commission Abuja, said whiel they were investigating the over N6 Billion sent to Plateau State Basic Education Board (SUBEB), they never investigated the personal Accounts of Sen. Jang, Mr. Yusuf or any member of their families.
He explained under cross examination by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Counsel to Sen. Jang (1st Defendant) and S. Oyawole (Esq), Counsel to Mr. Yusuf Pam (2nd Defendant) that he has never had any dealings with them and does not even know the name of the 2nd Defendant, Mr. Pam.
Abubakar under cross examination in part said, “My name is Abubakar Hassan. I am a Muslim and I have heard of Paradise and that if I lie, I will miss it. I also took an oath in this matter to say the truth and nothing but the truth. I also so know that I can go to jail when I lie in this matter.
“I am an Assistant Director in the past one year with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). I am an Accountant by profession.
‘I am aware that one of the requirements for taking the Loan of UBEC is that a state must pay its 50% Counterpart fund. Yes!
“I made my statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the 16th of March, 2022 being last month.
“The date on Appendix 5 of Exhibit 52 is 20th June, 2014. It is titled, Request For Approval To Borrow Money.
Appendix 3, is dated 3rd January, 2017 and it is titled, Request To Freeze Plateau State Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Marching Ground Account.
“Between 2014 when the approval was made it is about 8 years now.
“Between, 3rd January, 2017, to the date on my letter is about 5 years, when I told them to freeze the Account.
“When we say these illegalities, we did not report to the Police, EFCC, ICPC or any other security agency.
“The N2.79 billion borrowing by the Plateau State government, was addressed to SUBEB and the letter was signed by Mr. bouyi Souka the then Accountant General (A-G) of Plateau State and the letter was not written by the 1st Defendant, Sen. Jonah Jang.
“The request to borrow the over N2billion was not meant for the 1st Defendant, Jonah Jang.
“The hand written comments and approval was for the benefit of the state and not Sen. Jang.
“The State Executive Council (SEC) which took the decision and which the Secretary was referring to was not the 1st Defendant.
“I don’t know the 1st Defendant before now and I have never worked with him.
“I have never found his personal signature in any Banks documents that I have been shown, from Eco-Bank to Zenith Bank. I did not see him signing for UBEC or SUBEB in the whole documents concerning communications between UBEC and SUBEB nor is his name in any.
“In all my official engagements, I have never had any dealings with Sen. Jang.
“In my evidence before this Court, on Exhibit 52e, I made it clear that the sum over N6 Billion received by the state and the sum of over N2 billion borrowed was not borrowed by Sen. Jang, the 1st Defendant.
“I did not also find anywhere where, Jang, his wife, children or other family members borrowed from SUBEB’s Account.
“I did not also trace the over N6 billion to the Accounts of Sen. Jang but to SUBEB’s Accounts. For emphasis, I don’t even know his Accounts.
“The over N2 billion borrowed was also not traced to Sen. Jang’s personal Accounts nor to other members of his family.
“You are right to say that SUBEB is an agency of the Plateau State Government and not of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“I am aware that, Plateau state has appropriation bill every year and it becomes law when passed by the House and assented to by the Governor of the state.
“I am not aware that the appropriation or budget within this period under review, allows the Plateau State Government to do both Internal and External borrowings.
“I am aware of the handing over note and that it exhibits these borrowings and loans.
“Looking at this exhibit and the letter dated, 13th January, 2017 and annexure 6 titled: RE: Request To Defreeze Plateau State Marching Ground Account, it was written by the Executive Chairman of SUBEB, Prof. Mathew Sule and it was not the 1st Defendant.
“The letter was directed to the Executive Secretary (ES) of UBEC and this is not Sen. Jang.
“From my investigation and knowledge, Sen. Jang was not a staff of SUBEB or ECO Bank, and in view of the undertaking by the Plateau State Government to refund the balance, they were allowed to begging to re-operate the earlier freeze Account and from the undertaking, it is the Plateau State Government that will do the refunding and not Jang.
“I did not author or make any of the Appendixes and some of the Appendixes are statements of Accounts.
“I have never worked with ECO-Bank. I don’t know the 2nd Defendant and from all the letter and documents that I have been shown, none is signed by any of the Defendants.
“The approvals in the letters I can confirm are not made by the two Defendants. More so, I did not see the name of Yusuf Pam on the face of any of these documents.
“I have no complaint with respect to Yusuf Pam in any of the transactions”.
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