The Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday adjourned the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, over an alleged ₦80.2 billion fraud.
Presiding Judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, postponed the proceedings following the absence of the fourth prosecution witness, Aryan Mashelia Bata, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank, who was scheduled for cross-examination.
Prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, told the court that the witness was unavailable due to mandatory training. “We had hoped to ramp up the cross-examination, but because of the delay, we could not proceed,” he stated, proposing October 6 for the continuation of the witness’s testimony.
Defence counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, SAN, did not oppose the adjournment but objected to the proposed October 6 afternoon session. He instead requested October 7 and 10, or alternatively dates in November. He also informed the court of a pending motion concerning a publication on the EFCC’s website, seeking that it be heard on October 7.
Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned the matter to October 7 and 10, 2025, for continuation of cross-examination and hearing of the motion, and to November 8 and 9, 2025, for further trial proceedings.
