N1.8bn vanished from Taraba LG account — and an assistant cashier was the middleman

Yesterday in court, we heard something that should make every Nigerian ask questions. An assistant cashier in Taraba State's Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Taiwo Jones, told the FCT High Court that N1.8 billion belonging to Gassol Local Government Area was transferred into his personal company's account. This happened during former Governor Darius Ishaku's administration, and Jones said he acted on the instructions of the then-Permanent Secretary, Bello Yero.

Jones explained that he received 69 separate transfers from Gassol LGA's salary transmission account. He had no contract with the local government. He simply provided his account details, received the money, and then disbursed it as directed — sometimes handing cash directly to Yero, sometimes driving Yero to the Government House with the money inside a 'Ghana-must-go bag'. The prosecution, led by Rotimi Jacobs SAN, is building a case that this is part of the N27 billion that Ishaku and Yero allegedly diverted for personal use.

So here is the question: how does a local government salary account become a personal slush fund for senior officials? And what happens to the workers in Gassol whose salaries were meant to come from that account? This is not a small matter. This is money meant for teachers, healthcare workers, and local infrastructure. Yet it was flowing into a company that supposedly does farming business. Someone needs to answer for this.