Saraki directed me to give N100 million to his aide monthly – former Kwara Accountant

The trial of the former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki continued in a Lagos Federal High Court with the ex-Controller of Finance and Accounts at the Kwara State Government House, Isiaka Kareem revealing that he was ordered to release the sum of N100 million monthly to Saraki’s Aide.

He said Saraki, while in office as governor directed him to release the amount from the State Government House every month, but sometimes the fluctuates for some reasons.

The ex-Controller of Finance said that the deduction lasted throughout Saraki’s eight years tenure as governor of Kwara State.

According to him, the former governor personally introduced Kareem Adama to him as his personal assistant, saying that, “that the monthly payment made to Adama, on Saraki’s instructions, was tagged security and contingency”.

He stated this while he appeared as witness in a case that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is seeking forfeiture of two houses belonging to Saraki in Ikoyi Area of Lagos.

CAPITAL POST recalled that there was temporary forfeiture of the two houses located No. 17A, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos by Justice Mohammed Liman.

The EFCC argued that the houses were proceeds of crime which were reasonably suspected to have been acquired through unlawful means.

The anti-graft agency alleged in a supporting affidavit that Saraki, who served two terms as Kwara State Governor between 2003 and 2011, “withdrew over N12bn cash from the account of the Kwara State Government and paid same into his accounts domiciled in Access and Zenith Banks through one of his personal assistants, Abdul Adama, at different intervals.”

In the case that continued on Wednesday, the witness being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission prosecutor, Nnaemeka Omala, Isiaka Kareem said: “Every month, when monthly allocations were disbursed, Adama would come to collect funds designated as ‘security and contingency’.

“We have forms designed for every one that comes to collect money in my office. From the time I resumed duty in Kwara Government House in 2003 till 2011 Saraki left as governor, this is what we were doing.”

However, under cross-examination by Saraki’s lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), the witness said that the amount collected monthly by Adama depends on volume of the Government House’s allocation and that it wasn’t static.

“The allocation to Government House was not static. It was less than N100m when we started and it kept increasing overtime. That was why I said it was not N100m every month”, he told the Court.

The case was adjournedd till November 25 for further hearing.