EFCC Witness Clears Yahaya Bello’s Name From Kogi Gov’t House Bank Records

An EFCC witness has testified in court that Yahaya Bello’s name did not appear in Kogi Government House bank account records during his tenure as governor.

A witness from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has testified in a federal high court in Abuja, revealing that the name of Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, did not appear on any bank records related to the Kogi Government House account with the United Bank for Africa (UBA). Bello is currently facing charges of alleged money laundering totaling N80 billion.

During the court session, Kemi Pinheiro, the EFCC’s counsel, called on Abimbola Williams, a compliance officer at UBA, to testify. Williams, who had been subpoenaed to present financial records, confirmed that Yahaya Bello’s name was absent from all withdrawals made from the Kogi Government House account during Bello’s tenure as governor.

The subpoena had requested account records for Maselina Njoku, covering the period from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2020. Williams provided details of several withdrawals, made through cheques, from account number 1003889575, which was managed by UBA for the government house.

According to Williams, Abdulsalami Hudu was responsible for handling the withdrawals on behalf of the Kogi Government House. When cross-examined by Joseph Daudu, the defense counsel for Bello, Williams maintained that the former governor’s name did not appear in any of the transactions related to the account. She also clarified that she was not the account officer for the Kogi Government House account, which was based in Lokoja, the state capital, and not in Abuja where she worked.

Williams went on to confirm that she had reviewed records of ten withdrawals of N10 million each on December 12, 2018, made through cheques and presented across the counter. She mentioned that the mandate forms for these cheques listed the names and signatures of the signatories, which included Christopher Emefola, the permanent secretary at the government house; Onekutu Daniel, the chief accountant; and Abdussalam Hudu, the accountant.

Further cross-examination by Daudu focused on whether Yahaya Bello’s name appeared in any account-opening documents or account statements. Williams responded that Bello’s name did not appear anywhere in the account records.

In another development, Nicholas Ohehomon, an internal auditor at the American International School, testified that the school had received tuition payments for Bello’s five children, which were prepaid until their graduation. He confirmed that the school refunded these payments to an account provided by the EFCC, following the commission’s instructions. Additionally, he revealed that the tuition for Bello’s youngest child, Nana-Fatima, had been deposited into the school’s account at T.D. Bank in the USA for a period of ten years.

The judge, Emeka Nwite, adjourned the hearing until the following day to continue with the case.
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