An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, Mr. Trinity Usman, on Friday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he received and transferred three million dollars into the company account of Mrs. Aisha Achimugu.
We gathered that Usman, who testified as the second prosecution witness (PW-2), made the disclosure before Justice Emeka Nwite during the ongoing trial of Halima Buba, Managing Director of SunTrust Bank, and Innocent Mbagwu, the bank’s Executive Director and Chief Compliance Officer.
The two senior bank officials are facing prosecution by the EFCC over alleged money laundering offences involving $12 million. They are accused of facilitating high-value cash transactions without routing them through a financial institution, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants, arraigned on June 13, pleaded not guilty and were granted bail in the sum of ₦100 million each, with one surety in like amount.
Usman, a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator and businessman, told the court he was in the witness box to explain his dealings with Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd., a company owned by Achimugu.
He said, “Sometimes in April 2025, one Suleiman Ciroma contacted me that he has transaction that he needed 3 million US dollars to (be transfered to) Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd. In that particular time, I have the money being in my Triple A and Tee Oil and Gas Nig Ltd account. After we agreed with him, Suleiman Ciroma gave me the dollar payment in cash. I paid him the dollars into Oceangate Engineering Oil and Gas Ltd account.”
The witness stated that he made the transfers in four batches but could not recall the specific dates. He also told the court he had no personal relationship with the defendants, adding that his transactions were conducted through his company, Triple A and Tee Oil Nig. Ltd.
When asked if his BDC company participated in the deal, he clarified that the licence of Triple A and Tee BDC Ltd had been suspended at the time, prompting him to use his oil and gas firm’s account instead.
He said his employees, Abdulkadir Mohammed and Kabir Haruna, handled the cash collection, adding that he also carried out a naira-to-dollar exchange for Ciroma. “The naira was transfered into Triple A and Tee Service Venture Ltd Bank account. The naira also was converted into dollars and I sent the equivalent into Oceangate account,” he told the court.
Under cross-examination, the witness confirmed that Triple A and Tee BDC Ltd is still in operation and currently holds an approval-in-principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria. He also admitted that he made a profit from the transaction but did not inform the defendants that his BDC licence had been suspended.
“The choice of using your oil and gas company account to transfer the dollars to Oceangate was your own decision,” Buba’s lawyer asked, to which the witness replied, “Yes.”
During Thursday’s session, another witness, Suleiman Ciroma, the owner of Funnacle BDC Ltd, had testified that Achimugu requested the transfers to avoid depositing large sums in cash, which would have restricted her ability to move the funds.
He confirmed that the money was converted and transferred “less their charges into a designated account provided by Aisha Achimugu” and that the transactions were tied to the purchase of her two oil blocks.
After Friday’s proceedings, Justice Nwite discharged Usman and adjourned the matter until December 10 and 11 for continuation of trial.
