A compliance officer with United Bank for Africa, UBA, has given evidence in the ongoing trial of Bauchi State Accountant-General Sirajo Muhammed Jaja, detailing alleged transfers of state funds into the account of a private company.
Williams Abimbola appeared before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday as the first prosecution witness in the case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Jaja is standing trial alongside Aliyu Abubakar, Abubakar Muhammed Hafiz, Ari Manga and Muhammed Aminu Bose on an amended five-count charge involving alleged money laundering, theft, diversion of public funds and criminal misappropriation.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which relate to alleged public fund transactions totalling N1.635 billion.
During her testimony, Abimbola told the court that several transfers were made from the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury account into the account of JASFAD Resources Enterprises, a private company allegedly managed by Abubakar.
She said the transactions began in October 2024, with three transfers recorded on October 29 from the Bauchi State Sub-Treasury account into JASFAD’s account.
According to the witness, the three October 29 transactions were N13.144 million, N17.169 million and N46.030 million respectively.
She further told the court that another N17.886 million was credited to the JASFAD account on November 7, although the teller details for that transaction were not captured in the bank’s records.
The witness listed additional transfers on November 15 involving N12.215 million and N16.919 million, followed by N90.373 million on November 19 and N140.087 million on November 22.
The alleged transfers continued in December, with Abimbola telling the court that N24.192 million and N48.892 million were transferred to JASFAD on December 24.
She said the largest transactions disclosed during the testimony occurred on December 27, when N335.04 million and N300 million were transferred from the Bauchi Sub-Treasury account into the private company’s account.
The witness later clarified that there were actually three transfers on December 27, adding another N26.975 million to the two previously mentioned transactions.
She also told the court that two transfers were made on December 31, involving N14.285 million and N26.975 million.
According to her testimony, the transactions continued into 2025, including transfers of N19.84 million and N13.02 million on February 25.
Abimbola further listed several March transactions, including N16.105 million on March 3, N56.642 million on March 5, N45.923 million on March 7 and N11.253 million on March 10.
She said two more transfers of N49.28 million and N30.72 million were recorded on March 12, while another N28.262 million was transferred on March 14.
The EFCC tendered the Bauchi State account statement and a written statement from UBA as part of the evidence presented before the court.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants, who were signatories to the state’s sub-treasury accounts, unlawfully moved public funds to JASFAD Resources Enterprises.
The current case followed an earlier prosecution in which Jaja and Abubakar were arraigned in April 2025 over alleged diversion and laundering of a larger amount of Bauchi State funds.
The charges were subsequently amended, reducing the case to five counts and the alleged amount to N1.635 billion, before the defendants were re-arraigned in June 2025.
The defence lawyers indicated that they would cross-examine Abimbola on another date after her evidence-in-chief.
Justice Egwuatu subsequently adjourned the case until October 22, 2026, for continuation of the witness’s cross-examination and further proceedings.
The allegations remain before the court, and the defendants’ not-guilty pleas mean that the prosecution still has to establish its case through evidence and the ongoing trial.