The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, adjourned further hearing on the 19-count money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, filed against the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to January 29, 2026.
Bello, who piloted the affairs of Kogi state from 2016 to 2024, is facing trial over his alleged complicity in an N80.2billion fraud.
The case was adjourned after the 7th prosecution witness, Olomotame Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank Plc, concluded testimony and was discharged from the box.
Counsel to the EFCC, Mr Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, had, at the resumed hearing on the case, sought to tender through the witness bank documents that were marked as Exhibits 33 (1-11) and 34.
The application was opposed by the defence lawyer, Abdullahi Yahaya, SAN, who contended that the exhibit being demonstrated by the prosecution and its witness was unknown to the defendant.
He noted that a certificate of identification that was attached to the document sought to be tendered was signed by one Faruk Idiaro, not the witness in the box.
Moreover, Bello’s lawyer said he was served with a proof of evidence that was different from what was being tendered through the PW-7.
In his response, the prosecution counsel argued that though the certificate was different, the main documents that contained the transaction history remained the same.
Following a one-hour standdown of the case, the witness, upon resumption of the proceeding, confirmed that there were seven columns in the statement of account that was tendered and explained what the different columns stood for.
Led by the prosecution counsel, the witness identified the transactions that occurred in the account statement of the Kogi State Government House Administration from December 2018 to August 2021.
The witness identified cash payments on December 21, 2018, to one Aminu J.O., totalling N50 million, in tranches of N10m each.
He equally pointed out withdrawals on August 1, 2019, in favour of one Abdulsalam Hudu, which were in multiples of N10m.
Likewise, the witness went through another exhibit that contained the account statement of Fazac Business Enterprise, from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022.
He identified inflows on May 6, 2022, ranging from N4.49m to N14.45m, which came from local governments of the state.
According to the witness, on May 9, there were two inflows of N7.12m and N9.4m from two local governments.
He equally told the Court that several withdrawals were also made from the account within the period under review.
Trial Justice Emeka Nwite deferred further hearing on the matter to January 29 and 30 and February 4 and 5, 2026.
Earlier in the matter, the PW-4, Mshelia Arhyel Bata, who is a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc, told the court that funds that were withdrawn from the account the state operated with the bank followed the due process of the law.
Stressing that the former governor’s name did not appear as a beneficiary in the transaction record before the court, the witness said it was not the duty of the bank to verify the purpose for which funds were withdrawn from an account.
EFCC, in the charge before the court, alleged that the former governor used five proxies to acquire 13 choice properties in highbrow areas of Abuja and Dubai.
It told the court that the properties were acquired with proceeds of crime.
Besides, the anti-graft agency alleged that the defendant attempted to conceal over N3bn by handing it to proxies to keep for him.
It further told the court that the defendant wired over $700,000 to an account he maintained with a bank in the United States of America (USA), in breach of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.
Among those that were fingered in the alleged fraud were the former governor’s nephew, Ali Bello, and four others – Dauda Suleiman, Shehu Bello, Rabiu Musa and Hudu, who is currently at large.
According to the EFCC, the defendant, by his action, committed a public breach of trust, contrary to section 18(a) and (c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, and punishable under section 15 of the same Act.
The ex-governor had since pleaded not guilty to the charge, even as he was released on bail by the court, pending the determination of allegations against him.
