The corruption trial of Darius Ishaku, who governed Taraba State from 2015 to 2023, heard this week from a prosecution witness who said the former governor never personally told him to move money.
The case
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Ishaku and Bello Yero, a former permanent secretary of Taraba’s Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, with 15 counts including criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and conversion of about ₦27 billion in public funds. Both have pleaded not guilty. The case is before Justice Slyvanus Oriji of the FCT High Court in Abuja.
What the witness said
The third prosecution witness, Taiwo Jones, an assistant cashier in the bureau who also ran a farming company, has been testifying since June. He has told the court he received about ₦1.8 billion through his company’s account on Yero’s instruction for onward payment, and that local government subvention money went through his company and personal accounts.
Under cross-examination by Ishaku’s lawyer, Chris Umar (SAN), on Wednesday 21 October 2026, Jones said Ishaku never gave him instructions and that he had no personal relationship with the former governor. He said instructions came verbally from Yero, the chief cashier and the finance director, that he handed money to Dare Lawal, Ishaku’s former personal assistant, and that he had on some occasions driven Yero to Government House with a “Ghana-Must-Go” bag. He also disclosed a business partnership with Yero and could not say how much in total had passed through his accounts.
Lawal, the first prosecution witness, earlier testified that he received millions from state officials, including Yero, on Ishaku’s behalf. The trial was adjourned to Thursday 22 October.
