By TAIYE AGBAJE

Rabiu-Rangers Abdullahi, a witness, on Monday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that David Daure, attempted to use minister’s name to defraud Sen. Shehu Buba.

Abdullahi, the 2nd prosecution witness (PW-2), stated this before Justice Rita Offili-Ajumogobia while being led in evidence-in-chief by Leyii Abueh, counsel for the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

The AGF and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, had, in December 2025, taken over the prosecution of the matter from the Inspector General (I-G) of Police.

Ahmed Abdulrahman (1st defendant) and his co-defendants were initially being prosecuted by the I-G.

The I-G, in the 11-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/526/2025 and filed by Anthony Egwu on Oct. 6, 2025, named David Daure, Ishaq Muhammed, Abdulrashid Musa and Nasir Abubakar as 2nd to 5th defendants respectively.

The defendants were, on Oct. 30, 2025, arraigned on 11-count charge which also bordered on alleged cybercrime, defamation, advance fee fraud, among others.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the counts and they were remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre before they were admitted to bail.

Giving his evidence on Monday, the witness, who said he is a businessman and a politician from Bauchi State, said he got to know Daure about five years ago through Facebook.

“He is my friend on Facebook. He has my phone number and I have his number too. We communicate day in, day out.

“On 8th September, 2025, on his Facebook handle, he wrote that there is a protest that will take place in London, Charterhouse about Senator Shehu Buba, that he is sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria,” he said.

The PW-2 said because Daure knew that he was close to Sen. Buba, he sent him the screenshot of the message on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.

“And he said the protest will be on Friday (Sept 12, 2025) and that he knows the organiser of the protest.

“He asked me where I was so that he could come and meet me and I told him to come to a place, where they sell meat,” he said.

The witness said when Daure came to him, he asked him who was organising the protest “and he said his name is George Onmonya.”

According to Abdullahi, I asked him who is sponsoring it and he said it is a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his name is Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.

“I asked him what do you want me to do now and he said I should talk to Senator Buba.

“But I called his (senator’s) S.A. (Special Assistant) on Security, his name is Danladi and he said he (Daure) would be investigated whether the whole thing was a plan to dupe us.”

The witness said the lawmaker’s S.A. on Security later informed him after investigation that there was no protest at London Charterhouse and that Daure was lying.

He said George Onmonya alleged that the minister gave them 10, 000 pounds to organise the protest.

Abdullahi said Danladi then requested Daure’s phone number from him and he started communicating directly with the 2nd defendant.

“Daure and S.A. started talking and Daure asked for 10, 000 pounds but it was reduced to N5 million.

“Daure started calling me in order to collect the money and I started recording him.

“I took all the conversations with Daure and sent it to the S.A. on Security.

“Daure asked me on Thursday to send the money so that he could talk to the organisers of the protest because it was fixed for Friday,” he narrated.

The witness told the court that an arrangement was later made to pay Daure the N5 million and that when he arrived at the scene, he was arrested.

“That is all that I know,” he said.

Under cross-examination, Abdul Mohammed, SAN, who appeared for 1st defendant (Abdulrahman), sought to tender the two statements made by the witness to the police in evidence and they were admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits.

When he was asked if he must have exaggerated the narration, the witness said: “I didn’t have any reason to exaggerate anything. I only said the exact thing that happened.”

When he was asked if it was the exact things that happened that he told the police, the witness responded in affirmative.

When the lawyer asked him to go through the statement he made and tell the court where he wrote that “Daure screenshot the message and sent to him,” the witness admitted it was not in his statement.

The witness denied calling Daure on phone in order to have physical meeting with him.

Rather, Abdullahi said it was Daure that sent a message to him to ask his whereabouts.

After all the lawyers to the defendants cross-examined the PW-2, the witness was discharged from the witness box and the judge adjourned the matter until Feb..10 for continuation of trial.

In count one, the defendants were alleged to have, sometime in 2025, conspired among themselves “to commit an offence, to wit; cyberstalking against Senator Shehu Buba Umar.”

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 27(1)(b) and punishable under Section 21(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024.

In count three, Abdulrahman was alleged to have, sometime in 2025, intentionally sent a video via his Tiktok handle with user name “Kibanna Channel” and his Youtube channel to defame the lawmaker by linking him to sponsorship of banditry with a view to tarnishing his image as a serving Senator.

The suspect was alleged to have stated that “Sen. Buba, is a sponsor of banditry and called for his investigation, a statement you made by means of computer systems and network knowing same to be false, for the purpose of causing breakdown of law and order and causing the Senator fear of death”.

The offence Is also said to be contrary to Section 24(1)(5) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024, among other counts, among others. (NAN)