The third prosecution witness (PW3), Taiwo Johns, in the ongoing trial of former Taraba State governor Darius Dickson Ishaku and former permanent secretary Bello Yero, testified on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, before Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. He detailed how local government councils were directed to transfer funds to his company's account for the purchase and distribution of Christmas grains.
Directives from Top Officials
Johns, the proprietor of P3 Cornerstone, stated that the transfers were made on the instructions of his superiors: Yero (second defendant), Babangida Hassan (director of finance), and John Columba (chief cashier). He said, “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.”
According to his testimony, Donga Local Government deposited N30 million into his account on July 1, 2019. His account balance rose from N2 million to N32 million. On the same day, Hassan directed him to withdraw the N30 million in cash, which he did alongside Dare Lawal (PW1) and handed over the money.
Series of Transactions
On July 3, 2019, Donga LG credited his account with another N8 million. Two days later, a manager's cheque of N8 million was deposited. On July 22, 2019, Yorro Local Government deposited a manager's cheque of N3 million. “The N3 million was withdrawn the same day by me. The same amount was handed over to the permanent secretary and I drove him to the Government House,” Johns testified.
On July 24, 2019, Blessed Springs Modern Communication credited his account with N4.4 million. He reported to Hassan, who instructed a transfer to another account, citing a directive from above. That same day, two transfers of N10 million each from Henrietta Meepatan were made into the P3 Cornerstone account. Johns withdrew N6 million, N5 million, and N1 million as instructed.
Massive Inflows from Multiple LGAs
Further testimony revealed that Gashaka Local Government deposited a manager's cheque of N35 million into P3 Cornerstone. On July 29, 2019, Donga LG issued a cheque of N40.5 million, and Zing LG credited the account with N35 million. “The three local governments paid a total sum of N110 million into the account of P3 Cornerstone. I withdrew the same amount and the permanent secretary came to the bank with Dare Lawal and they confirmed it and collected it,” Johns said.
On July 31, 2019, Gassol LGA transferred N73 million, and Bali LGA transferred N40 million. On September 3, 2019, Ardo Kola LG added N40 million. On September 18, 2019, cashiers from six local governments made cash deposits: N8.5 million, N9.5 million, N9 million, N8.9 million, N9.2 million, and N6.7 million, totaling approximately N51.8 million. Most of this money was later sent to Blessed Springs account.
Court Grants Medical Trip
During proceedings, Chris A. Umar, SAN, counsel to Ishaku, informed the court of a motion filed on July 17, 2026, seeking leave for the former governor to travel to Dubai for medical check-up and surgery. With no objection from the prosecution, Justice Oriji granted the request and adjourned the matter to October 5, 2026, for continuation of the examination of PW3's testimony.
