A contractor told an Abuja court he also paid school fees for Danladi Umar’s children on instructions relayed by a CCT deputy director. Under cross-examination, he acknowledged that he had known Umar for more than a decade, received a ₦3 million transfer from Umar’s wife in 2024, and had not included that transfer in his EFCC statement.
By A1NEWS International
ABUJA, Nigeria
A contractor facing questions in a criminal case against former Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) chairman Danladi Umar testified at the FCT High Court in Maitama that he transferred ₦6 million to Umar’s wife and paid fees for two of the former chairman’s children after his company received a CCT contract.
Oluwatayo Solomon, owner of JTF Global Links Limited and Portal Realities Limited, appeared as the first prosecution witness in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) case. He said Umar asked him to transfer the money to Zulaihatu Umar, while a CCT deputy director also contacted him about the payment.
Umar has denied the allegations. The testimony is evidence presented by the prosecution and does not, by itself, establish guilt.
Witness describes ₦6m transfer to Umar’s wife
Solomon told the court that, two days after payment for a contract awarded to his company had been completed, Umar called and asked him to pay ₦6 million into his wife’s account.
The witness said Akinola Akonju, then a CCT deputy director, also contacted him about the request and forwarded the account details. He added that Zulaihatu Umar called him about the payment.
“The money was paid from the Portal Realities Limited Wema Bank account into her account,” Solomon told the court.
Asked by defence counsel whether the transfer could have been a loan, Solomon said it was not. “There was no reason to give her a loan because I did not have that discussion with her,” he said.
Contractor says he paid school fees after call from CCT official
Solomon testified that in October 2021 Akonju called and told him Umar had asked that he pay school fees for two of the former chairman’s children at Baze University in Abuja.
“I paid about ₦2 million for Yakubu Umar Danladi from the Portal Realities Limited account in Jaiz Bank to Baze University. I also paid school fees on behalf of Faiza Umar Danladi,” he said.
Under questioning, Solomon said he did not confirm the instruction directly with Umar. He said he acted on Akonju’s call and knew the children named as beneficiaries.
Solomon also told the court that Portal Realities Limited, the company used to pay the fees, had not received a CCT contract.
Cross-examination highlights personal relationship and an undisclosed transfer
During cross-examination, Umar’s lawyer, identified in the court account as Mr Sunday, asked Solomon about his relationship with the defendant. Solomon said he had known Umar for more than 10 years and knew his wife and children, describing them as family friends.
The lawyer also questioned Solomon about a ₦3 million transfer from Zulaihatu Umar to his Zenith Bank account on 16 February 2024. Solomon acknowledged receiving the money and said the transfer was not included in his statement to the EFCC.
The account of the hearing did not provide further details about the purpose of the ₦3 million transfer or the witness’s explanation for its omission from his statement.
Contract award and procurement process examined
Solomon said he submitted JTF Global Links Limited’s company profile to the CCT and that the tribunal awarded the company a contract on 22 September 2021.
He said he had approached Akonju after Umar told him to meet the CCT official. According to Solomon, Akonju later invited him to take part in a financial bid.
Solomon could not identify the other organisations that may have bid for the contract, saying he was not a member of the tenders board. He told the court he was qualified to bid and had executed contracts for other public institutions, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and the Katsina State Government.
Asked whether the CCT contract was awarded because of his relationship with Umar, Solomon said the documents he submitted showed that his company was qualified.
The court account did not include the contract’s value, scope or procurement records, nor details of the other bidders.
EFCC charges and next hearing
The EFCC arraigned Umar on 9 July over allegations that he received gratification from contractors who carried out work for the CCT. The agency alleges that payments were made to his wife and that contractors paid school fees for his children.
The EFCC said the alleged conduct violated Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. Umar has denied the allegations.
At the hearing, the defence sought a certified true copy of Solomon’s extrajudicial statement, saying it wanted to question the witness about evidence it described as appearing to be an “afterthought.” The prosecution opposed the request, saying the statements had already been frontloaded.
The judge said the prosecution did not have the certified copy in court and granted an adjournment to allow it to provide the document to the defence. The case was adjourned to 20 January 2027.
Solomon’s testimony placed the alleged payments, the CCT contract award and his personal ties to Umar before the court. His cross-examination also raised questions about a separate ₦3 million transfer from Umar’s wife that he acknowledged receiving but said was not included in his EFCC statement. The court has yet to determine the allegations, and Umar remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.
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