A prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Trinity Usman, has testified before the Federal High Court in Abuja that he received and transferred a total of $3 million into the account of Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd, a company owned by Mrs. Aisha Achimugu.
Mr. Usman, the second prosecution witness (PW-2), appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite, led in evidence by EFCC’s counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, in the ongoing money laundering trial involving Halima Buba, Managing Director of SunTrust Bank, and Innocent Mbagwu, the bank’s Executive Director and Chief Compliance Officer.
The defendants are facing a six-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of $12 million, accused of aiding high-value cash transactions that bypassed financial institutions — a violation of Sections 21(a), 2(1), and 9(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act.
They were arraigned on June 13 and have since pleaded not guilty, securing ₦100 million bail each with one surety in like sum.
$3 Million Transfer Through Oil and Gas Account
Mr. Usman, a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator and businessman, explained that in April 2025, one Suleiman Ciroma contacted him regarding a transaction requiring $3 million to be transferred to Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd.
He stated that he had the funds available in his company account — Triple A and Tee Oil & Gas Nigeria Ltd — and after receiving the dollar equivalent in cash from Ciroma, he made the transfers in four tranches to Achimugu’s company.
During cross-examination, Usman confirmed that his BDC licence had been suspended at the time of the transaction, adding that the deal was facilitated through his staff, Abdulkadir Mohammed and Kabir Haruna.
He further revealed that the naira equivalent was transferred into Triple A and Tee Service Venture Ltd’s account before converting it to dollars for the payment.
Defense Cross-Examination
Under questioning by the defense counsel, Johnson Usman, SAN, for the 1st defendant, the witness admitted that his company later received approval in principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to resume BDC operations.
He also agreed that he did not inform the defendants that his BDC license had been suspended and that using his oil and gas company’s account was his personal decision because that was where he had available funds.
When questioned by M.S. Ibrahim, SAN, counsel to the 2nd defendant, Usman confirmed that he made a profit from the transactions but admitted he had no prior contact or communication with the defendants before the deal.
Previous Witness Testimony
Earlier, Suleiman Ciroma, owner of Funnacle BDC Ltd and the first prosecution witness (PW-1), testified that Aisha Achimugu requested the dollar transfer to facilitate payment for her two oil blocks, explaining that direct cash deposits would have restricted her ability to make international transfers.
Ciroma also confirmed that he had never met or communicated with either of the defendants and that his BDC licence had expired during the transactions.
Adjournment
After the conclusion of PW-2’s cross-examination, Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until December 10 and 11, 2025, for the continuation of trial.
