Corruption Trial: Contractor Tells Court Ex-CCT Chairman Umar Asked Him to Pay ₦6m to Wife and ₦2m for Son’s University Fees
A contractor has told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, allegedly requested ₦6 million to be transferred into his wife’s bank account and also asked him to assist with paying his children’s university tuition fees.
The contractor, Oluwatayo Fashogbon, Chief Executive Officer of Portal Realities Limited and JTF Global Links Limited, made the allegation on Thursday while testifying as the first prosecution witness in Umar’s ongoing trial.
Umar is facing a four-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of nepotism and using his public position to confer corrupt benefits on himself.
Testifying before the court, Fashogbon told the prosecution counsel, Christopher Mshelia, that Umar approached him in September 2021 and instructed him to submit his company’s documents to the procurement department of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
According to the witness, he submitted the documents belonging to JTF Global Links Limited, after which the tribunal’s then Deputy Director of Procurement, Akinola Akanji, contacted him.
Fashogbon said Akanji informed him on September 22, 2021, that his company had been awarded a contract to digitalise the tribunal’s personnel records, stores, accounts and online filing systems.
He explained that his company received an official award letter and immediately submitted an acceptance letter to confirm its readiness to execute the project.
The contractor disclosed that the 12-month contract was valued at approximately ₦140 million and that his company received four instalment payments throughout the agreement.
He told the court that the first payment of about ₦9 million was credited to JTF Global Links Limited’s Stanbic IBTC Bank account in September 2021.
A second payment of approximately ₦17 million followed on December 18, 2021, while the third instalment, worth about ₦16 million, was received in July 2022.
According to him, the fourth payment of approximately ₦17 million was made on January 23, 2024.
However, Fashogbon alleged that two days after receiving the fourth instalment, Umar contacted him and requested that ₦6 million be transferred to his wife’s Zenith Bank account.
The witness told the court that the account belonged to Zulaihatu Danladi Umar and that the money was transferred from the Wema Bank account of Portal Realities Limited.
Fashogbon further alleged that another request was made in October 2024 when Akinola Akanji contacted him over a request purportedly made by Umar to assist with paying his children’s university fees.
He testified that he paid approximately ₦2 million into Baze University’s account for Umar’s son, Yakubu Danladi Umar, using the Jaiz Bank account of Portal Realities Limited.
He also told the court that he made a similar payment towards the university fees of Umar’s daughter, Faiza Umar Danladi, through the same company account.
During the proceedings, the prosecution presented the contract award letter, which Fashogbon identified through the logos of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and his company, alongside the signatures and dates contained in the document.
The court admitted the document as evidence and marked it as Exhibit A.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, S. Edward, Fashogbon maintained that he had the necessary qualifications and experience to execute government contracts.
He cited previous contracts his companies had handled for the Code of Conduct Tribunal and other government institutions, insisting that the projects were awarded based on his qualifications and the documents submitted.
Umar is currently standing trial on a four-count charge involving an alleged benefit of ₦15.59 million.
The allegations have yet to be established, and the court is expected to determine the matter based on the evidence presented by both parties.
The case was adjourned until January 20, 2027, for the continuation of hearing.
