A key prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Ali Bello, the nephew of Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, along with two other defendants in a N10 billion money laundering case, informed Justice James Omotsho of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday about substantial funds being transferred in tranches from the accounts of the Kogi State government. The witness revealed these transactions during the trial on charges brought forth by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) related to misappropriation and money laundering.
Bananda Edward, a Compliance Officer with United Bank of Africa (UBA), provided testimony, presenting a statement of account generated from UBA regarding transactions in the state government and the state government’s house administration accounts. Notable in the statement were cash withdrawals on December 23, 2022, totaling N20 million, withdrawn in tranches of N10 million each from the Kogi State Government account in favor of Kudu Abdulsalam.
During the proceedings, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the prosecution counsel, moved to tender the transactions as an exhibit in evidence. However, the defense counsels, A.M Alilu and Nureini Jimoh, representing the first and second defendants respectively, opposed the move, citing concerns about the documents not meeting the requirements of the Evidence Act.
In response, Oyedepo argued for the admissibility of the documents, asserting their originality and relevance to the case. He emphasized that the witness had confirmed on oath that the documents were made by customers of the bank and met the stipulations of the Evidence Act.
Justice Omotosho ruled in favor of the prosecution, admitting the documents as evidence.
The witness also scrutinized Exhibit E, which contained transactions on December 28, 2022, revealing cheque withdrawals of N10 million each in four instances in favor of Alhassan Onakaji. The witness further detailed subsequent transactions, including inflows and withdrawals, involving significant amounts and various beneficiaries.
After listening to the submissions of the witness, Justice Omotoso adjourned the matter until February 5 and 6 for the continuation of the hearing. Ali Bello, Yahaya Bello, and two others face charges in connection with the alleged N10 billion money laundering, with their arraignment taking place on December 15, 2022. The charges include ten counts related to misappropriation and money laundering.
