Suswam’s N3.1 billion money laundering case: The road to justice so far

A Federal High Court, Abuja Division, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, has fixed May 29th, 2026, for adoption of final written addresses in the N3.1 billion money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against former governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam and his erstwhile Commissioner of Finance, Omadachi Oklobia. 

The trial of Senator Suswam and Oklobia, for allegedly laundering N3.1 billion being proceed from the sale of Benue State Government shares in Dangote Cement Plc, held on it’s behalf by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, sold through Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited. 

Background

Mr Suswam, who governed Benue State from 2007 to 2015, and his co-defendant, were first arraigned in November 2015 by the EFCC before Justice Ahmed Mohammed over allegations of diverting N3.1 billion, part of the proceeds from the sale of Benue State government shares.

The defendants were subsequently re-arraigned before the court on 2nd November, 2020.

In the amended charge, the EFCC alleged that Mr Okolobia transacted a total of N578 million in four tranches, exceeding the cash transaction limit under the money laundering law, between December 2014 and January 2015.

The case has faced multiple delays over the years. Initially handled by Justice Ahmed Mohammed. 

Justice Mohammed withdrew from the case on June 6, 2016, citing a publication by Sahara Reporters which alleged that the judge had been compromised to give Suswam a “soft landing.”

But after the defence and the prosecuting teams pressurised him, through the then Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta (retd.), Justice Mohammed rescinded his decision and took the case file back.

However, following another story published by SaharaReporters levelling similar allegation against him, the judge, in a letter dated July 5, 2019, again withdrew from the case. 

The Chief Judge then re-assigned the case to Justice Abang. 

Justice Abang had started hearing the case with four witnesses already called when the Court of Appeal, ruling on an appeal by Suswam to challenge Justice Mohammed’s withdrawal, ordered that the Justice Abang should stop hearing and return the case file to Justice Mohammed.

The case twas reassigned to Justice Peter Lifu following Court of Appeal directives after Mr Mohammed’s elevation to the appellate bench in 2023.

In 2024, precisely Thursday, March 21, 2024, Suswam’s N3.1 billion money laundering case started afresh before Justice Peter Lifu,on an amended 11-count money laundering charge filed by by the EFCC.

In other to prove it’s case, the EFCC calleda total of 9 witnesses,ranging from staff of the Ministry of Finance, Benue State, staff of the EFCC, a portfolio manager, a bureau the change dealer, among others. 

Abubakar Umar, the Sixth Prosecution Witness, PW6, in the trial of Gabriel 

Suswam had narrated before the Federal High Court, how in 2014, he converted the sum of N3.1 billion, wired to him by Suswam as governor and delivered its equivalent of $15.8m in cash to him at his Maitama, Abuja residence.

During the court’s proceedings, the witness, a bureau de change operator and CEO of Fanffash Resources, who has been testifying on the matter since 2018, first, before Justice A.R Mohammed and later Justice Okon Abang, disclosed that the total sum of N3.1 billion was transferred to him by Suswam, through a proxy in tranches with the first tranche of N413 million hitting his account on August 8, 2014 and the remaining,coming in subsequently to sum up to N3.1billion.

Umar, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, affirmed that the proxy who did the

naira transfers to him was a woman. 

According to the witness, he had to change a total sum of N3.1billion to dollars, which he said amounted to $15.8 million at the rate of N197 to a dollar and delivered it to Suswam in his Maitama, Abuja residence.

“One day in 2014, when I was in the office, the former governor of Benue State asked me to meet him in his house in Maitama, Abuja. I went and met him in the house together with one fair woman. He asked me to give the woman my account number. I gave the woman my Zenith Bank account number. The woman said she’ll send money into that account.

“On the 8th of August 2014, N413 million was transferred to my account. Based on this, I called the former governor and he told me to change the money to dollars and I asked him to give me time to do that. Three days after I bought the dollar equivalent, I called the former governor and informed him that the money was ready. He now asked me to take the money to his house in Maitama, near Jumat Mosque. I now told him that he should inform the security at the gate that I was coming, if not they’ll not allow me access into the gate. I took a cab to the house, and after I arrived at the house, I knocked at the gate and they opened. I told them my name. They opened the first and second gates and I sat in the waiting room where he came and met me. I now brought out the money which we both confirmed to be the equivalent of the N413 million. The exchange rate then was N197”, he said

Testifying further, he said, “On the 12th of September 2014, N637 million was transferred to my account.  

After N637million was transferred to my account, after like 40 minutes N363 million was also transferred into my account. On 13th October 2014, N630, 008,50, (Six Hundred and Thirty Million, Eight Thousand and Fifty Naira) was also transferred to my account. On 17th October 2014 1,0068,000 (One Billion, Sixty-eight Million) was transferred to my account. It is the woman that was directed by the former governor to do the transfers. The total money transferred to my account was N3 billion”.

The witness who stated that he was neither arrested by the EFCC for giving any testimony in favor of the defendant, nor threatened by the Commission to give evidence against the defendant, further disclosed that he did not have receipts for the transactions, so also no record book for them, stating that he buys dollars from his fellow retailers and only records based on discretion.

Mustapha Yusuf Abubakar, a staff of the anti-graft agency who was also part of the EFCC team that investigated the matter was the seventh witness of the EFCC. 

Mustapha Abubakar who was led in evidence by counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, tendered a portfolio agreement notice of appointment as stock brokers with Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited, by the then Board of Benue Investment and Property Company(BIPC).

The portfolio agreement was signed by the second defendant, Omadachi Oklobia as the commissioner for Finance, Benue State.

While under cross examination from counsel to Oklobia, Paul Erokoro(SAN), the witness disclosed that Mr Oklobia collected the sum of N350 million in two trenches of N200 million and N150 million and handed the money to the then Chief Security Officer to the Governor, identified as ‘Manga’, who also signed for the receipts of the money at Benue State Government House in Makurdi, because there was no other government official to sign.

According to him, during interrogation, Oklobia explained that it was the first defendant, Gabriel Suswam, that directed him to collect the money from one James Gara, who cashed the money. 

On Wednesday, May 14th, 2025, the EFCC called it’s ninth witness, Mr Ape Sunday(PW9), an investigator with the EFCC,while being led in evidence, informed the court that PW10,Mrs Shiedu Awade, a former cashier and executive officer of Benue Investment and property Ltd., had been hospitalised at the National Hospital, Abuja, making it impossible for her to appear in court.

In response to the prosecution’s conclusion, counsels for the first and second defendants, C.E. Ugbozor and Paul Erokoro, SAN, respectively, informed the court that they would be filing a “no case submission.” 

They requested a 14-day period to do so, while the prosecution sought 21 days to file a response to the defence’s submission.

Justice Lifu adjourned the matter until June 24, 2025, for the adoption of the defence’s “no case submission.”

On July 23rd, 2025, Justice Lifu while ruling on the no case submission by Senator Suswam and Oklobia dismissed their no-case-submission and said the prosecution agency has established a prime facie case against the defendants that required their defence.

He accordingly ordered the defendants to open their defence and adjourned further trial to September 22 and 26, 2025.

In his ruling on the no-case submissions, Justice Lifu said after analysising the evidence of the nine prosecution witnesses and documents tendered by the prosecution, he is of the view that there is the need for the defendants to provide answers to the allegations against them.

“The defendants need to throw some light on some of the allegations made against them in the interest of justice and fair hearing. It’s is therefore my view that the two defendants have a case to answer. I so hold.

“I hold that the prosecution has successfully established a prima facie case against them as there are some evidence before the court to proceed with the trial,” Justice Lifu ruled.

During September’s proceedings, Mr Suswam’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), requested a three-week adjournment to allow a defence lawyer, Chinelo Ogbozor, to recover from illness and to prepare adequately.

He also cited a pending appeal against the no-case ruling.

But the prosecution, represented by Oluwaleke Atolagbe, opposed the request, noting the defendants had over 10 years to prepare and that the court was not bound to await the appellate court’s decision.

Mr Lifu acknowledged the slow pace of the trial, lamenting difficulties in locating court files, describing them as “scattered all over the place.”

He adjourned the case till 10 October, for the defendants to officially open their defence.

When Suswam finally opened his defence as DW1, the former governor denied collecting money from one Abubakar Umar, neither did he instruct him to collect money on his behalf.

“My Lord, I know Abubakar Umar, but in this particular case, I had no transaction with him regarding the facts of this case.

“At no time did I instruct him to collect the said amount, convert it and give it back to me as alleged in the charge. I have no so such transaction with him.” 

Led in evidence by his counsel, Mrs. Chenelu Ogbozor, Suswam who took the oath by affirmation, vehemently told the court that he did nothing wrong through out his tenure as governor of the state.

Speaking from the witness box, Suswam said: As someone who has served the country at both the state and Federal level, my focus has always been to provide service at any position I find myself. And as Governor of my state for eight years, my focus was to provide service and that I did very well. So I did a lot for the state. The evidence is manifestly on ground, even the prosecutor can testify to that.

“I will appeal to my Lord that I did nothing wrong. I did not misappropriate any money. I did not steal any money, neither did I conspire with anybody or group of persons to steal any money.

“So on the basis of the facts of this case, I should be discharged and acquitted for doing no wrong.

“I want to plead with my Lord to take into consideration my service I provided for this country for 20 years without blemish. I was Chairman of Appropriation at the House of Representatives, I was never accused of any misappropriation,” Suswam told the court.

Speaking earlier on his income, Suswam said his salary as Governor of Benue State was in the region of N700, 000. 

“The office of the Governor may sound big but the income is low.

But I had other income from my farming business which the constitution permits public servants to engaged in. My rice farm, rice mill. I also have some cattles in the range which gives me some reasonable income.

“Also, as Governor there were some allowances such as clothing and maintenance as my personal allowances that comes to me directly, ” 

Before his evidence, he introduced himself as “a Lawyer by training, a Politician by choice and a businessman by necessity.”

The second defendant, Okolobia in his defence uurged the court to discharge him of the allegations, as he acted under instructions from Suswam. 

After the defendants closed their defense, Justice Peter Lifu adjourned the case to January 20th, 2026, for adoption of final written addresses.

Unfortunately, the court didn’t sit on the said date due to the absence of the judge.

Records obtained from the court shows that,May 29th has been fixed for adoption of final written addresses ahead of judgment in the trial of Suswam over alleged money laundering that started 11 years ago.

For anti-corruption watchers and citizens of Benue whose shares in Dangote Cement Plc were sold, they are earnestly waiting for the conclusion of a case that has wandered between three judges in 11 years.