How I paid money into ex-CCT chairman’s wife’s account, covered his children’s school fees – Contractor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opened its corruption case against former Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) chairman Danladi Umar with its first prosecuton witness at the FCT High Court in Abuja on Thursday.

Oluwatayo Solomon, owner of JTF Global Links Limited and Portal Realities, testified on he bankrolled Mr Umar’s children’s school fees at the Baze University in Abuja and transferred money into his wife’s account after the CCT paid him for the contract awarded to him.

He said he received a call to pay N6 million into the bank account of Zulaihatu Umar, Mr Umar’s wife, barely two days after he was paid by the tribunal.

According to the witness, a deputy director at the CCT at the time, Akinola Akonju, called him concerning the “request” and forwarded the account details to which the payment would be made.

“Mrs Umar also called me about the payment. The money was paid from the Portal Realities Limited Wema Bank account into her account,” the witness said.

On 9 July, the EFCC arraigned Mr Umar before the FCT High Court in Abuja on charges of receiving gratification involving about N15.6 million from CCT’s contractors between 2021 and 2024.

Mr Umar, whose tenure spanned July 2011 to November 2024, allegedly received financial inducements from contractors via deposits into his wife’s bank account and through the settlement of his children’s school fees at Baze University, Abuja.

The anti-corruption agency alleged that Kurchmives International Limited, a subcontractor under the contract awarded by the CCT to Momanaf Global Ventures Limited for the painting of the tribunal’s headquarters, sent N5 million to his wife, Zulaihatu Umar’s Zenith Bank account on 5 October 2021.

It also alleged that Portal Realities Limited, a sister company of JTF Global Links Limited, a company awarded the contract for the digitalisation of CCT’s management records, sent N6 million to Mrs Umar’s account on 25 January 2024.

The prosecution also stated in the charges that Portal Realities Limited paid over N4 million for Mr Umar’s children, Faiza and Yakubu, at Baze University.

These transactions, according to the prosecution, constituted acts of corruption, involving a public officer using his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate criminalised under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Mr Solomon, the first prosecution witness, explained how he made payments for the school fees of Mr Umar’s children.

The witness said Mr Akonju called him in October 2021 that Mr Umar asked that he be informed to pay the school fees of two of his children in Baze University, Abuja.

“I paid about N2 million for Yakubu Umar Danladi from the Portal Realities Limited account in Jaiz Bank to Baze University. I also paid school fees on behalf of Faiza Umar Danladi,” from the same account.

Led in evidence by EFCC’s lawyer Christopher Mshelia, the witness presented the documents regarding the contract awarded by the CCT, chaired at the time by Mr Umar, to his company, JTF Global Links Limited.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Edward Sunday, Mr Solomon confirmed that he had known Mr Umar for more than ten years.

He also acknowledged that he knew Mr Umar’s wife and children and could be considered as family friends.

Responding to the defence lawyer’s suggestion that the N6 million paid into Mrs Umar’s account could be considered a loan, Mr Solomon said, “There was no reason to give her a loan because I did not have that discussion with her.”

He also confirmed that he did not disclose.

He acknowledged a transfer of N3 million from Mrs Umar into his business account with Zenith Bank on 16 February 2024 but confirmed the transaction was omitted from his statement to the EFCC.

On how he was asked to pay for Mr Umar’s school fees, Mr Solomon said he received the directive from Mr Akonji, the CCT official, but never cross-checked with Mr Umar.

“Based on the relationship I have with him and the beneficiaries sent to me are the people I am familiar with,” the prosecution witness said.

He also disclosed that Portal Realities Limited, through which he paid the fees, was not awarded any contract by the CCT.

Witness answers questions on relationship with Umar, qualification

Earlier, Mr Solomon told the court that CCT awarded a contract to JTF Global Links Limited on 22 September 2021, after submitting the company’s profile to the tribunal.

Responding to the defence lawyer’s suggestion under cross-examination that he asked to be awarded the contract, Mr Solomon said, “Based on my relationship with Mr Umar, he asked me to meet Mr Akonji, whom I submitted my company profile to. Mr Akonji called me on the 18th (no month stated) to come for a financial bid.”

The witness, who said he is registered and has all the necessary documents “for bidding according to the laws of Nigeria,” maintained that the documents he submitted for the CCT contract confirmed that “I am qualified to be awarded the contract,” pushing back a suggestion that he won the contract based on his relationship with Mr Umar.

He said he could not list other entities who bidded for the contract because, according to him, he was “not part of the tenders board.”

He also told the court that Mr Akonji served as the current procurement director for the CCT.

The witness said, before the CCT contract, he had executed contracts for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), and Katsina State Government.

Defence lawyer, who described some of Mr Solomon’s claims as an afterthought, sought to confront him with his extrajudicial statement.

But he could not proceed with that line of cross-examination after it was realised that there was no certified true copy of the witness’ extrajudicial statement in court.

The judge, Peter Kekemeke, then adjourned the matter until 20 January 2027 for the prosecution to furnish the defence with the certified true copy of the statement.

Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, under which Mr Umar was charged criminalises the act of public officers who use their office to confer undue advantage on themselves, friends or family.

The offence attracts seven years’ imprisonment upon conviction.