The N80.2 billion fraud trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, continued on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the prosecution presenting two witnesses and submitting key financial documents as evidence.
According to The PUNCH, among the documents tendered and admitted by the court were the statement of account of the Kogi State Government House and financial records from the American International School, Abuja, where Bello’s children are enrolled.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had earlier alleged that, shortly before leaving office, Bello paid $760,000 in advance school fees for his children.
The school later refunded the sum to the anti-graft agency during its investigation into the alleged N80.2 billion fraud.
During Monday’s proceedings, lead prosecutor Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) called a second witness, Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer with United Bank for Africa, who testified under subpoena.
Abimbola presented several financial documents, including account opening records and statements from the Kogi State Government House spanning January 1, 2016, to January 31, 2024.
Additionally, she submitted the account statement of the American International School, Abuja, covering the period from September 1 to September 30, 2020, and financial records of one Macelina Njoku for 2022.
The court admitted all the documents as exhibits after the defense, led by J.B. Daudu (SAN), raised no objections.
The prosecution’s first witness, Segun Adeleke, General Manager of Efab Properties Limited, also testified regarding property transactions allegedly linked to the former governor. However, he stated that Yahaya Bello’s name did not appear in any of the property documents.
Adeleke recounted that in 2020, his chairman, Chief Fabian Nwora, introduced him to a man named Shehu Bello, who later made payments for a property worth N550 million.
“My Lord, in 2020, while I was in the office, my chairman introduced me to Chief Dr. Fabian Nwora and a young man named Shehu Bello,” Adeleke testified. “They had a discussion about purchasing a property, and the agreed price was N550 million for a property at No. 1 Ikogosi Road, Maitama.”
According to him, the payment was made in U.S. dollars, with the exchange rate confirmed through a Bureau De Change.
Adeleke also testified about another property located on 59th Avenue in Gwarinpa, stating that it was purchased by one Nuhu Mohammed for N70 million via bank transfer.
“This property was purchased by one Nuhu Mohammed for N70 million,” he said. “My Lord, it was a one-off payment, and our office issued a two-page document—a payment receipt and an allocation letter—after the transaction.”
Under cross-examination, Adeleke emphasized that he had no direct dealings with Yahaya Bello and only acted on instructions from his chairman.
“I never saw Yahaya Bello during these transactions, and his name does not appear on any of the documents,” he stated.
The defense had initially objected to Adeleke’s testimony, arguing that his statement was not included in the Proof of Evidence. However, the court overruled the objection and allowed him to testify.
The trial has been adjourned to March 6 and 7, 2025, for continuation.
