The Federal High Court in Abuja has set November 25 as the date to begin the trial of former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, over an alleged N4 billion money laundering case.
The case, which had been delayed, was adjourned after the new presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, concluded three judgments along with several other matters listed for the day. Justice Umar, who recently took over the matter after it was re-assigned to him, was formerly at the Enugu division of the court.
Earlier in May, Justice Umar did not sit, prompting the court to reschedule the case for July 24 for mention, before eventually fixing November 25 as the trial date.
Obiano, who governed Anambra State from March 2014 to March 2022, is facing a nine-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The charges revolve around the alleged diversion and mismanagement of over N4 billion belonging to the state.
At a previous hearing held on October 7, 2024, before Justice Inyang Ekwo, EFCC’s lead counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, presented two witnesses.
One of the witnesses, Mr. Ugochukwu Otubelu, a former employee of a commercial bank, gave details of how the security vote account was managed under Obiano’s administration. Otubelu, now a businessman, had worked with the bank from November 2008 to March 2023. He appeared as the third prosecution witness (PW-3).
He explained that the signatories to the security vote account were Mr. Willy Nwokoye, who served as Principal Secretary to the governor, and Mr. Theophilus Nweze, the state’s Accountant. Otubelu said he worked with both men regularly to process transactions tied to the account.
He added that funds from the security vote account were moved into the accounts of six companies, although the money never reached the actual account holders.
The fourth prosecution witness (PW-4), Hayatu Hadejia, a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator, also testified. He told the court he manages five different BDC companies and was summoned by the EFCC during the course of their investigation into the financial dealings of the former governor’s administration.
Another key witness, Ayuba Tanko, also a BDC operator, testified on November 13, 2024, as PW-5. He stated that between April and December 2017, a sum of N416 million was paid into one of his company’s accounts by proxy. According to him, this amount was returned in foreign currency equivalent, totaling $1,137,000.
“I’m a forex trader. I deal in USD, Euros, and pounds sterling. I source customers, exchange currency, and charge a commission,” Tanko told the court.
He said he operated his business through two entities—Sauki Bureau De Change and Zigaziga Trading and Company Ltd. He explained that the EFCC invited him in 2023 and questioned him regarding transactions linked to Zigaziga Trading’s account in a commercial bank.
When asked by EFCC’s counsel about the total amount he received during that period, Tanko reiterated: “Between April and December 2017, I received N416 million and returned $1,137,000 as the dollar equivalent.”
He also clarified that outside of this particular transaction, he had no further dealings with the Anambra State government during Obiano’s tenure.
During cross-examination, Obiano’s legal counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, asked Tanko whether he ever had any direct interactions with the former governor. Tanko responded plainly: “I did not deal directly with the defendant.”
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