The alleged ₦110 billion money laundering case involving former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has been adjourned to November 12 by Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court. The adjournment came after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its sixth witness in the ongoing trial.
Bello and his co-defendants are facing 16 counts bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust over alleged diversion of state funds during his tenure as governor.
At Thursday’s resumed hearing, the prosecution called its fifth witness, Victoria Oluwafemi, a compliance officer with Polaris Bank. She testified that the account under investigation received several deposits in tranches of ₦10 million each, amounting to ₦450 million in total credits for November 2021.
Under cross-examination by the defense counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), Oluwafemi admitted she was not the account officer handling the transactions and therefore could not confirm the exact nature of the operations behind the deposits.
The EFCC then called its sixth witness, Mshelia Arhyel B, who was cross-examined on the same day. Daudu informed the court that he had previously questioned the witness in another court on related matters but was allowed by Justice Anenih to proceed at his discretion, as the present case was independent of earlier proceedings.
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During the session, the prosecution sought to tender several documents through the subpoenaed witness, but the defense team objected, citing Sections 83 and 84 of the Evidence Act, arguing that the documents did not meet admissibility requirements.
The second defendant’s counsel, Aliyu, supported the objection, but EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), urged the court to overrule the defense and admit the documents. Justice Anenih subsequently admitted a 218-page bank statement from Alusha Services, signed by the witness, and marked it as Exhibit P1.
The witness was then questioned on a series of transactions between February 22, 2016, and May 6, 2022. He confirmed that several withdrawals of ₦10 million each were made but clarified that all were within approved transaction limits before the enforcement of stricter banking policies in 2023.
With testimonies from six witnesses now on record, the EFCC is expected to call additional witnesses when the trial resumes on November 12.
The case, one of the most closely followed corruption trials in Nigeria, continues to attract national attention as Yahaya Bello maintains his innocence, insisting that the allegations are politically motivated.
