Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, has ruled that the extra-judicial statements made by Ali Bello and Dauda Sulaiman were obtained voluntarily and are admissible in evidence.
The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, followed a trial-within-trial conducted to determine whether the statements were made under duress, as alleged by the defendants.
Ali Bello—nephew of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello—and Sulaiman are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count amended charge bordering on alleged misappropriation and money laundering amounting to ₦10,270,556,800.
The defendants had opposed the tendering of eight extra-judicial statements by the prosecution, claiming they were coerced and threatened into making them.
However, in his ruling, Justice Omotosho held that evidence before the court showed that the defendants’ legal counsel was present during the recording of the statements and endorsed them as voluntary.
According to the judge, the process complied with the provisions of Sections 15(4) and 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which require that statements be made in the presence of legal representation.
He consequently admitted the statements into evidence. Those of the first defendant, earlier marked as Exhibits TWA–TWA5 during the trial-within-trial, were admitted as Exhibits R2–R5 in the main trial, while those of the second defendant, marked as Exhibits TWB and TWB1, were admitted as Exhibits S and SW1.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to April 21 and 24, 2026, for the prosecution to close its case.
