How ex-minister released N200m for townhall meetings in 2014 —EFCC Witness 

Umar Tahir, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday told the Federal High Court, Abuja, that a former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki, released N200 million out of the N359 million for a security sensitisation programme in some parts of the country in 2014.

Tahir, who was a Senior Special Assistant on Islamic Affairs to the former president, stated this while testifying as first prosecution witness (PW1) in the ex-minister’s trial for alleged money laundering to the tune of N854 million.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on May 4, arraigned Turaki alongside his former Special Assistant, Sampson Okpetu, and two firms – Samtee Essentials Limited and Pasco Investment Limited, on a 16-count charge of money laundering.

The commission alleged that the defendants used the companies to launder funds totaling N845 million stolen from two ministries where he served during Jonathan’s administration.

The defendant also served as Minister of Labour from 2014 to 2015.

READ ALSO: EFCC arrests Turaki, PDP alleges

However, Turaki and Okpetu pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In his testimony, Tahir told Justice Inyang Ekwo that due to the shortage in the funds released, the programme that was planned to take place in the 19 northern states and the six geo-political zones of the country was only executed in the North-West and South-South zones as well as Abuja, Kaduna and Kano States.

The witness also revealed how he was invited by the former president on June 23, 2014, to discuss the security challenges posed by Boko Haram and fake speeches, amongst others in the country.

Tahir, who was led in evidence by EFCC’s counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, said part of the advice he offered Jonathan was to let his office organise a sensitisation town hall meetings across the 19 states and the six geo-political zones which the vice-president and top members of the government would attend.

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