Arms deal: We traced N4.6bn to Bafarawa’s son, EFCC witness tells court

Hamza Abdullahi, a witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has narrated how N4.6 billion from the arms deal was traced to the son of Attahiru Bafarawa, a former governor of Sokoto.

Abdullahi appeared before Y. Halilu, the judge, at the federal capital territory (FCT) high court on Wednesday.

Bafarawa alongside Sagir, his son; Bashir Yuguda, former minister of state for finance; Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA); Dalhatu Investment Limited, a company owned by the former Sokoto governor; were arraigned by the EFCC.

The defendants are facing 25 counts of misappropriation, criminal breach of trust and receiving stolen property.

Their trial is connected to the alleged misappropriation of arms funds by Dasuki who was NSA from 2012 to 2015.

On Wednesday, EFCC presented Abdullahi as the second witness in the trial-within-trial of the former Sokoto governor.

During the court proceedings, the EFCC witness said N4.633 billion was traced to the account of Dalhatu Investment Limited, where Bafarawa’s sons were directors.

The witness added that Sagir was the sole signatory to the company’s bank account.

The EFCC witness told the court that he was the second-in-command of special task force, fraud investigation on arms, defence equipment procurement in the office of NSA in 2015.

He said the team investigated the activities of 78 companies that received money from the office of the NSA without justification, adding that Dalhatu Investment Limited was among the companies.

Abdullahi said Sagir was interviewed on November 25, 2015 by the investigation team and that he made his statement voluntarily.

“My Lord, I witnessed the statement dated 25/11/2015 of Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa. He was interviewed in my presence, the statement was also recorded in my presence,” the witness said.

“At the conclusion of the written statement, I read it to him. Thereafter, I endorsed the written statement. I equally endorsed the second statement at 4pm and it was concluded by 4:25pm, the same day. I witnessed it, my name and signature were there.

“My Lord, there was nothing like promises made to the accused, threat or inducement. To the best of my knowledge, there was nothing like that.

“It was a very conducive environment and that was the secretariat of the special task force at the head office then.

“The secretariat is the conference room of the chairman, and no member of the special task force is authorized to make any promise in the course of investigation.

“When Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa honored our invitation, he came with his lawyer and he was confronted with the evidence that we have.

“Afterwards, he said he needed to consult his lawyer and later volunteered his written statement. These statements were based on the fact of the evidence we have on the company.”

After the witness’ testimony, Halilu adjourned the case to May 22, 2024.

Bafarawa served as governor of Sokoto from 1999 to 2007.