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| Sirajo Muhammad Jaja. |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, re-arraigned Bauchi State Accountant General, Sirajo Muhammad Jaja and an unlicensed Bureau de Change operator, Aliyu Abubakar of Jasfad Resources Enterprises, before Justice O. A. Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The duo were re-arraigned on amended five-count charge,
bordering on conversion of public funds belonging to Bauchi State Government,
and money laundering to the tune of N1, 635, 270, 350.9k (One billion, Six
Hundred and Thirty-five million, Two hundred and seventy thousand, Three
hundred and fifty Naira, Nine kobo).
They were earlier arraigned on April 7, 2025, with Jaja as
the first defendant, while Abubakar was the second, however, in the amended
charge, marked FHC/ABJCR/101/2025, dated, January 5, 2026, and filed on the
same date, Abubakar, trading under the name of Jasfad Resources Enterprise
became the first defendant and Jaja, the second.
Early in the proceedings, prosecution counsel, Abba
Muhammed, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution has filed a second
amended charge and prayed the court for the defendants to take their plea.
Count two of the charge reads, “That you Aliyu Abubakar
(trading under the name and style of “Jasfad Resources Enterprises” a
purported Bureau de Change operator), Sirajo Muhammad Jaja
(Accountant General of Bauchi State), Abubakar Muhammad Hafiz (at large),
between 29 October, 2024 and 31st December, 2024 within the
jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did commit an offence to wit: money
laundering by converting the sum of One Billion, Two Hundred and Ninety
Million, One hundred and Fifty four thousand, Three hundred and Thirty seven
Naira, Two kobo (N1, 290,154,337.2) of public funds, belonging to Bauchi State
Government which you transferred from the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury Account,
domiciled in United Bank for Africa with account number 1018819396 into the
bank account of Jasfad Resources Enterprise domiciled in United Bank for Africa
with account number 1023444660 and thereby committed an offence contrary to
Section 18(2)(b) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money
Laundering(Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Count three reads; “That you Aliyu Abubakar (trading under
the name and style of of “Jasfad Resources Enterprises” a purported Bureau
de Change operator), Sirajo Muhammad Jaja (Accountant General of
Bauchi State), Abubakar Muhammad Hafiz (at large), Ari Manga (at large), and
Muhammad Aminu Bose (at large), between 3rd January, 2025 and
14th March 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable
Court, did commit an offence to wit: money laundering by converting the sum of
Four hundred and twenty-six million, One hundred and sixteen Thousand, Thirteen
Naira, Seven kobo (N426, 116,013.7) of the public funds, belonging to Bauchi
State Government which you transferred from the Bauchi state Sub-Treasury
Account, domiciled in the United Bank for Africa with account number 1018819396
into bank account of Jasfad Enterprise, domiciled in United Bank for Africa
with account number 1023444660 and thereby, committed an offence contrary to
Section 18(2)(b) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money
Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, following which
the counsel to first and second defendants Gordy Uche, SAN, and Chris Uche,
SAN, respectively applied for the defendants to continue to enjoy the bail
granted them by the court, which was not objected by the prosecution counsel.
The first defendant’s counsel, further moved a motion
challenging the competence of the charge, and asked the judge to strike
out counts two, three, four and five for allegedly being a duplicity of
action, and to save the defendants from suffering double jeopardy. This found
support from the counsel to the second defendant, Chris Uche, SAN, while they
faced objection from the prosecution counsel.
The court, however, reserved ruling on the contention till
the end of trial, citing Section 395 of the Administration of Criminal Justice
Act, ACJA 2015.
In continuation of the trial, the prosecution called its
first witness, Prosecution Witness One, PW1, Abimbola Williams, a compliance
officer with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) with 20 years’ experience.
She informed the court that the bank in February 2025,
received a request from the EFCC for details of some of its clients.
“The request asked for the bank statements of Jaspa
Resources account, Bauchi State Sub-treasury account and the documents were
printed and copies given to EFCC,” she said.
The banker, who said that the documents were certified by
her, tendered them through the prosecution and they were in evidence by the
court and marked as exhibits. Although the defence lawyers raised an objection,
they said their objection would be expounded in their written addresses.
Further in his testimony, the PW1 narrated to the court how
money, running into multi-million Naira, belonging to Bauchi State was
allegedly moved from Bauchi State Sub-treasury Account number: 1018819396
, to Jasfad Resources Enterprise
account number: 1023444660 , domiciled in UBA.
She told the court that on October 29, 2024, there was a
debit transfer from Bauchi State Sub-treasury Account to Jasfad Resources to
the tune of N13, 144,500. Also that “On October 29, 2024, we have a debit
transfer of 1N7,196,300. On October 30, 2024 there were two debit transfers
from Bauchi Sub-treasury account to Jasfad Resources Enterprise, first for N50
million and the second for N7, 321,000,” he said.
The witness further disclosed that there were 18 other
times, on different dates within the period that transfers were made from
Bauchi State Sub-treasury Account to Jasfad Resources.
Following the conclusion of the PW1’s evidence-in-chief,
Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter until May 12 for continuation of trial.
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