A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled May 29, 2026, for the adoption of final written addresses in the N3.1 billion money laundering case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against former Benue State Governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and his former Commissioner for Finance, Omadachi Oklobia.
Justice Peter Lifu set the date after both parties concluded the presentation of their cases. The EFCC is prosecuting Suswam and Oklobia for allegedly diverting N3.1 billion from the sale of Benue State Government shares in Dangote Cement Plc, held through the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) and sold via Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited.
Suswam, who served as Benue State governor from 2007 to 2015, was first arraigned in November 2015 before Justice Ahmed Mohammed on charges of diverting state funds. The defendants were re-arraigned on November 2, 2020, after amendments to the charge. In the amended charge, the EFCC alleged that Oklobia conducted cash transactions totaling N578 million in four tranches between December 2014 and January 2015, exceeding the threshold allowed under the Money Laundering Act.
The case has faced multiple delays and reassignments. Justice Mohammed initially withdrew in 2016 after reports claimed he was compromised to give Suswam a lenient outcome. Following interventions, he resumed but withdrew again in 2019 after another publication questioned his impartiality. The case was then reassigned to Justice Okon Abang, who took evidence before the Court of Appeal ordered the file returned to Justice Mohammed after an appeal by Suswam. After Justice Mohammed's elevation to the Court of Appeal in 2023, the case was reassigned to Justice Lifu, who began a fresh trial on March 21, 2024, on an amended 11-count charge.
To prove its case, the EFCC called nine witnesses, including Benue State Ministry of Finance officials, EFCC investigators, a portfolio manager, and a bureau de change operator. One witness, Abubakar Umar, a bureau de change operator and CEO of Fanffash Resources, testified that he converted N3.1 billion transferred to him in tranches into dollars and delivered $15.8 million in cash to Suswam at his Maitama residence in Abuja in 2014. Umar said the funds were transferred through a female proxy and converted at an exchange rate of N197 to a dollar.
Another witness, EFCC investigator Mustapha Yusuf Abubakar, presented documents on the appointment of Elixir Securities Limited and Elixir Investment Partners Limited as stockbrokers by BIPC. During cross-examination, he stated that Oklobia allegedly received N350 million in two tranches and handed the money to a former Chief Security Officer known as “Manga” at the Benue State Government House in Makurdi.
After the prosecution closed its case, defense counsel indicated they would file a no-case submission. Suswam later opened his defense, denying receiving money from Abubakar Umar or instructing anyone to convert funds on his behalf. He told the court he did not misappropriate public funds or conspire to commit any offense during his tenure and urged the court to discharge and acquit him, maintaining his public service record was unblemished.
