By JOY ADARA , Abuja-
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Suleiman Ciroma, has revealed to the Federal High Court in Abuja how $12 million was illicitly swapped through SunTrust Bank in a mere 10 days.
Testifying before Justice Emeka Nwite, Ciroma detailed the rapid transactions orchestrated by the bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Halima Buba, and Executive Director/Chief Compliance Officer, Innocent Mbagwu, who face money laundering charges.
Ciroma, a former Bureau De Change operator and travel agency owner, provided evidence under the guidance of EFCC counsel Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.
The defendants are accused of facilitating high-value cash transactions without proper financial institution channels, violating Sections 21(a), 2(1), and 9(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Both pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge on June 13 and were granted N100 million bail each.
During Thursday’s hearing, Ciroma recounted how the scheme began on March 10 after a call from oil magnate Aisha Achimugu, who informed him of upcoming foreign exchange transactions with SunTrust Bank.
“I immediately contacted Halima Buba, who confirmed she was aware of the transactions,” Ciroma testified. He described how $12 million was swapped in tranches into the Zenith Bank account of Achimugu’s company, Oceangate Energy Oil & Gas, between March 10 and March 20.
Ciroma detailed specific transactions: “A man named Iliya called to confirm he was at a SunTrust branch in Abuja to pay $1 million in cash for the swap. I arranged for my friend Hassan Dantani of Ashrap Ltd to send Tijjani Adamu to collect it.”
He added that Abdulkadir Mohammed collected another $1 million in Abuja, while a man named Kabiru received $2 million. Ciroma admitted to earning N15 million in profit from the deals, stating, “Aisha Achimugu told me she needed dollar inflows to purchase an oil block.”
According to Ciroma, Buba facilitated the Abuja transactions, while Mbagwu handled those in Lagos. He submitted evidence, including WhatsApp conversations with Buba and a signed certificate of identification, which Justice Nwite admitted as Exhibit P1 despite objections from defense counsel Johnson Usman, SAN, and M.S. Ibrahim, SAN, who reserved their arguments for the final address.
The trial continues on July 18, as the EFCC seeks to prove the defendants’ role in the alleged money laundering scheme. (NAN)
