Joseph Bakare
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, adjourned the trial of the former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam till July 16, 2026 for adoption of final written addresses, as the 11-year-old case goes on the home stretch.
Suswam, alongside his then Commissioner of Finance, Omadachi Okolobia is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on amended 11-count charge, bordering on theft, criminal breach of trust, illegal award of contracts and money laundering to the tune of N3.1 billion, being proceeds from the sale of the state government’s shares in Benue Cement Company.
Both defendants allegedly committed the fraud, using Elixir Securities Ltd and Elixir Investment Partners Limited.
While the EFCC has called nine witnesses who testified against the defendants, Suswam turned out to be the sole witness for his defence team.
The defendants were first arraigned in November 2015 before Justice Ahmed Mohammed, then of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja. The matter was transferred to Justice Okon Abang, who was also of the Abuja Federal High Court, before his elevation to the Court of Appeal. The case was later brought back to Justice Mohammed, following a ruling of the Court of Appeal. The prosecution was at the point of closing its case in December 2023, under Justice Mohammed, when the judge was elevated to the Court of Appeal and the matter was reassigned to Justice Lifu for a fresh start of the trial.
Thus, the defendants’ re-arraignment on Thursday, March 21, 2022, marked their second arraignment before Justice Lifu. Though both defendants opted for a no-case submission, after the testimonies of the nine prosecution witnesses, Justice Lifu on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 dismissed the no-case submission, ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case warranting him and his co-defendant to defend themselves against the charges.
They commenced their defence on October 10, 2025.