The ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, resumed on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, with fresh testimony outlining a trail of large cash deposits allegedly funneled through an associate.
A prosecution witness, Jamilu Abdullahi, a bureau de change operator and the 12th witness in the case, told the court that multiple cash lodgments were made into accounts linked to E-Traders International Limited by one Abba Adaudu.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Abdullahi confirmed that the deposits occurred on several dates, including March 10 and 11, 2022, referencing transaction records admitted as evidence.
He clarified discrepancies in depositor names on the records, explaining that variations such as “Abdullahi Jamilu” and “Jamil Abdullahi” were merely narrative entries and not indicative of who physically made the deposits.
According to the witness, all transactions were conducted directly with Adaudu, whom he identified as the individual responsible for the deposits on other dates, including October 8 and 11, 2021.
Abdullahi further testified that upon receiving the cash, he converted the naira sums into United States dollars and handed them over to Adaudu.
The court also heard details of transactions involving companies allegedly linked to the associate. Abdullahi stated that his firm, Kunfayakun Global Limited, received ₦100 million and ₦400 million on December 15 and 17, 2021, respectively, from Keyless Nature Limited.
He said the funds were used to purchase dollars, which were subsequently delivered to Adaudu after agreeing on exchange rates.
In addition, the witness disclosed that ₦600 million was paid in six tranches into the account of Ejadams Essence Limited on February 18, 2022, followed by another ₦325 million on February 21 via RTGS, all for dollar conversion purposes.
He told the court that the converted funds were typically handed over either at his office or at Adaudu’s office in Area 8, Abuja, noting that Adaudu often came personally to collect the dollars.
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Proceedings were briefly interrupted after defence counsel, J. B. Daudu (SAN), objected to the line of questioning, arguing that the prosecution appeared to be contradicting its own witness without formally declaring him hostile.
However, the prosecution countered that the witness had remained consistent, attributing any minor discrepancies to the passage of time and the nature of recalling events from several years ago.
Justice Emeka Nwite subsequently adjourned the case until April 24, 2026, for a ruling on the objection and continuation of the trial.
