A Bureau De Change (BDC) operator and prosecution witness for the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC), Mr. Trinity Usman, instructed the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja on Friday that he had no prior data of Halima Buba and Harmless Mbagwu, executives of SunTrust Bank, who’re at present dealing with trial over alleged cash laundering offences totaling $12 million.
Usman, the 2nd prosecution witness (PW-2), spoke in entrance of Justice Emeka Nwite whereas being led in proof by the EFCC’s lawyer, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.
“I don’t know them,” Usman mentioned when requested by EFCC counsel Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, to establish the defendants within the dock.
Halima Buba, Managing Director of SunTrust Bank, and Harmless Mbagwu, Govt Director and Chief Compliance Officer, have been arraigned on June 13 by the EFCC.
The duo pleaded not responsible to 6 counts of facilitating high-value money transactions with out routing them by a {financial} establishment, in violation of the Cash Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
They have been granted bail within the sum of N100 million every, with one surety apiece.
Usman, the second prosecution witness (PW-2), testified that he obtained $3 million in money from one Suleiman Ciroma in April 2025 and transferred the funds into the account of Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gasoline Ltd, owned by Mrs. Aisha Achimugu.
“In that individual time, I had the cash in my Triple A and Tee Oil and Gasoline Nig Ltd account,” Usman mentioned. “After we agreed, Suleiman Ciroma gave me the greenback cost in money. I paid him the {dollars} into Oceangate Engineering Oil and Gasoline Ltd account.”
He confirmed the switch was made in 4 tranches however couldn’t recall the precise dates.
When requested whether or not his BDC firm, Triple A and Tee BDC Ltd, was concerned within the transaction, Usman clarified that its license had been suspended on the time. He mentioned the greenback switch was executed by his oil and fuel firm account as a result of it held accessible funds.
“The selection of utilizing your oil and fuel firm account to switch the {dollars} to Oceangate was your individual resolution,” Buba’s counsel, Johnson Usman, SAN, requested. Usman responded, “Affirmative.”
He additionally admitted that he didn’t inform the defendants concerning the suspended BDC license previous to the transaction.
Usman named Abdulkadir Mohammed and Kabir Haruna as employees members who facilitated the money assortment from Ciroma. He additional testified {that a} naira-to-dollar transaction was carried out, with the naira deposited into Triple A and Tee Service Enterprise Ltd’s {bank account} and the greenback equal despatched to Oceangate.
Throughout cross-examination, Usman confirmed that Triple A and Tee BDC Ltd stay operational and have obtained “approval in precept” from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Earlier on Thursday, Suleiman Ciroma, proprietor of Funnacle BDC Ltd and the primary prosecution witness (PW-1), testified that Achimugu requested the greenback switch to facilitate the acquisition of two oil blocks. He defined that money deposits would have restricted her capacity to make transfers.
Ciroma said, “Trimizi Usman and Hassan Dantani, upon their representatives amassing the cash, in flip, transferred the greenback equal—much less their expenses—into a chosen account supplied by Aisha Achimugu.”
He confirmed that in foreign exchange transactions, transfers should originate from accounts with influx, not money deposits.
Each witnesses admitted underneath cross-examination that that they had by no means met or communicated immediately with the defendants. Ciroma acknowledged he had no textual content or WhatsApp exchanges with Mbagwu and didn’t inform Buba that his BDC license had expired.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter till December 10 and 11 for the continuation of the trial.
