In a continuing corruption trial that has drawn attention to the management of public funds in Taraba State, a prosecution witness has provided a detailed account of how millions of naira from multiple local government councils were transferred to a private company account under the direction of senior state officials.
Witness Testimony in Court
Taiwo Johns, the third prosecution witness (PW3), testified on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, before Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. Johns stated that the funds were moved to his company, P3 Cornerstone, on the instructions of his superiors: Bello Yero (the second defendant and former permanent secretary in the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs), Babangida Hassan (director of finance), and John Columba (chief cashier).
According to Johns, the money was intended for the purchase and distribution of Christmas grains, a program that was supposed to benefit residents of the state during the tenure of former Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, who is the first defendant in the case.
“All the money paid to P3 Cornerstone was based on the directives of my boss, Alhaji Bello Yero, the permanent secretary; Babangida Hassan, the director of finance and John Columba, the chief cashier, who was my immediate boss,” Johns told the court.
Breakdown of Transfers
The witness provided a detailed chronology of payments made into the P3 Cornerstone account between July and September 2019. Among the earliest transactions, he said, was a credit of N30 million from Donga Local Government on July 1, 2019. Johns testified that his account balance stood at N2 million before the deposit, bringing it to N32 million. On the same day, he said, Hassan directed him to withdraw the N30 million in cash, which he did alongside Dare Lawal—the first prosecution witness (PW1)—and handed the money over to Lawal.
Further deposits from Donga Local Government followed: N8 million on July 3, 2019, and a manager’s cheque of N8 million on July 5, 2019.
On July 22, 2019, a manager’s cheque of N3 million from Yorro Local Government was credited to the account. Johns said he withdrew the amount the same day and handed it over to the permanent secretary, Bello Yero, whom he drove to the Government House.
The witness also recounted a series of transactions on July 24, 2019. Blessed Springs Modern Communication credited his account with N4.4 million. After reporting this to Hassan, he said, he received instructions on where to transfer the money, described as a directive “from above.” On the same date, two separate transfers of N10 million each were made into the P3 Cornerstone account by Henrietta Meepatan. Johns stated that he withdrew N6 million, N5 million, and N1 million from those funds.
Later in July, larger sums flowed in. Gashaka Local Government deposited a manager’s cheque of N35 million. On July 29, 2019, Donga Local Government issued a cheque for N40.5 million, and Zing Local Government credited the account with N35 million on the same day. Johns testified that the three local governments paid a combined total of N110 million into P3 Cornerstone. He said he withdrew the full amount, and the permanent secretary, accompanied by Dare Lawal, came to the bank to confirm and collect it.
On July 31, 2019, Gassol Local Government transferred N73 million, and Bali Local Government made a transfer of N40 million into the account.
In September 2019, the pattern continued. Ardo Kola Local Government transferred N40 million on September 3. On September 18, cashiers from six different local governments made cash deposits into the account: N8.5 million, N9.5 million, N9 million, N8.9 million, N9.2 million, and N6.7 million. Johns said the total from these six deposits was approximately N51.8 million, and most of that money was subsequently sent to Blessed Springs account.
Defense and Adjournment
During the proceedings, Chris A. Umar, SAN, counsel to the first defendant (Ishaku), informed the court of a motion filed on July 17, 2026, seeking leave for Ishaku to travel to Dubai for a medical check-up and surgery. The prosecution did not object to the request.
Justice Oriji granted the medical travel request and adjourned the matter until October 5, 2026, for the continuation of the examination of PW3’s testimony.
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Dele Oyewale, Head of Media & Publicity, provided the statement detailing the court proceedings.
