₦110.4bn fraud: EFCC presents fresh bank evidence in Yahaya Bello trial

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday tendered additional bank records in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, over an alleged ₦110.4 billion fraud.

The trial, before Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, continued with the prosecution presenting more documentary evidence through bank officials summoned as witnesses.

Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed the court that proceedings would continue with the further cross-examination of Prosecution Witness Six (PW6), Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank.

During cross-examination by defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, the witness explained entries contained in bank statements earlier admitted as exhibits, including cheque payments and transfers running into millions of naira.

He told the court that while the statements showed descriptions and narrations of transactions, he could not determine the actual purposes for which the funds were used.

PW6 also confirmed multiple inflows and withdrawals on the Government House account domiciled at Zenith Bank, including transactions described as “security fund” and “His Excellency Special Sec Vote.”

He further stated that several authorised signatories operated the account and that the former governor was not the sole operator.

Under further cross-examination by counsel to the third defendant, A.M. Aliyu, SAN, the witness confirmed that withdrawals by the third defendant were carried out through cheques duly signed by authorised signatories.

An attempt by the defence to portray the third defendant as merely performing his duties as an accountant was objected to by the prosecution and upheld by the court.

Following the discharge of PW6, the EFCC called Prosecution Witness Seven (PW7), Mohammed Bello Hassan, an executive trainee with Keystone Bank, who appeared pursuant to a subpoena.

He tendered bank documents relating to Dantata and Sawoe Construction, covering transactions within 2021.

PW7 told the court that the statements reflected multiple transfers of ₦10 million each, amounting to ₦100 million, made by individuals identified as Maigari Murtala and Yusuf Mubarak.

Under cross-examination, he admitted he was not the account officer and had no personal knowledge of the account holders beyond the documents supplied.

The prosecution also called Prosecution Witness Eight (PW8), Gabriel Ocha, a compliance officer with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), who tendered documents relating to Kunfayakun Global Limited.

He identified transactions including a ₦30 million payment to the American International School and several high-value transfers between companies and individuals.

Prosecution Witness Nine (PW9), A.D. Ojoma, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank, was also called.

He identified large credit entries into the account of Bespoke Business Solutions Limited, including payments from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service amounting to hundreds of millions of naira in 2019.

Counsel to the third defendant objected to the admissibility of some of the documents tendered by the prosecution, reserving reasons to be argued later, while the court admitted the exhibits provisionally.

Justice Maryanne Anineh adjourned the matter to Friday, January 16, 2026, for the continuation of trial.