A prosecution witness on Monday narrated before a Federal High Court in Abuja how a former member of the House of Representatives, Aliyu Ibrahim Gebi, allegedly issued 14 dishonoured cheques valued at N125 million over a loan transaction traced to 2011, according to BusinessDay.
Testifying as the first prosecution witness (PW1), Mustapha Usman told Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie that the cheques, said to have been issued by the defendant, were returned unpaid when presented to the bank, a development that later led to a petition submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, Usman said he was present when the loan arrangement was facilitated through Hajiya Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, who was then a serving member of the House of Representatives.
According to the witness, Gebi approached Ahmed in 2011 to request a “friendly loan” of N125 million, which was approved without interest, with an agreement that the money would be repaid within 60 days.
“I was there when the first defendant wrote an undertaking to repay the loan within 60 days without interest.
“However, when the 60 days elapsed, he did not fulfil his obligation, and I later met him to demand repayment”, Usman told the court.
Usman further testified that the former lawmaker later issued 14 cheques amounting to N125.5 million in favour of his company, Musty Petroleum Limited.
He explained that the additional N500,000 represented a partial payment he made to Gebi after the defendant requested N1 million to finance a proposed trip to the United States, which he claimed would help him access funds to repay the loan.
“He told me he was expecting money from the United States and needed N1 million for his ticket. To reduce the risk, I gave him N500,000,” Usman said.
The witness told the court that while some of the cheques were drawn from the account of Craft Technology Ltd, others were issued directly from Gebi’s personal account.
“All 14 cheques, dated January 12, 2012, were presented to the United Bank for Africa (UBA) but were returned unpaid.
“When I presented the cheques, they were dishonoured and returned. I was told that withdrawal attention was required.
“Because they were UBA cheques and I also have an account with the bank, I later found out that both Craft Technology Ltd and the defendant’s personal accounts were not funded”, Usman said.
Usman added that despite repeated promises by Gebi to settle the debt, the loan remained unpaid, prompting him to petition the EFCC in September 2012.
He said repayments only commenced after the anti-graft agency stepped in.
“He first paid N20 million, then another N34 million. He continued paying in bits,” the witness said, adding that he received a further payment of N12 million about two weeks before the court session.
Usman also told the court that at the previous sitting on December 18, 2025, the defendant claimed he had fully repaid the loan, a claim he disputed.
“I told him that was not correct. He checked his records and later that same day paid the outstanding sum of N10.5 million after leaving the court,” he said.
In a statement, the EFCC disclosed that the prosecution tendered a letter of undertaking dated December 19, 2011, which was admitted in evidence and marked as Exhibit PW1a.
“The 14 cheques issued in favour of Musty Petroleum Limited were also admitted and marked as Exhibits PW1b to PW1xiv. In addition, Usman’s petition to the EFCC dated September 13, 2012, was admitted as Exhibit PW1e1.
“Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter until January 21, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
“Gebi was initially arraigned on January 29, 2013, before Justice Abba Mohammed of the Federal Capital Territory High Court on a 13-count charge.
“Following Justice Mohammed’s elevation to the Court of Appeal, the case was reassigned to Justice Onwuegbuzie”, the statement read.
