The trial of former Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over alleged N80.2 billion money laundering charges, took a significant turn on Thursday as the Federal High Court in Abuja overruled the objection of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and admitted a key court judgment tendered by Bello’s legal team.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling, dismissed the EFCC’s objection as “preemptive” and allowed the defense, led by Joseph Daudu, SAN, to tender a judgment from an FCT High Court (Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/2574/2023) involving Mr. Ali Bello and the Incorporated Trustees of the American International School, Abuja (AISA). The judge held that the document was a certified true copy, relevant to the facts in issue, and admissible under Sections 102 and 104 of the Evidence Act.
The EFCC had earlier opposed the document’s admissibility because the prosecution had not yet closed its case. However, Justice Nwite emphasized that courts have long shifted from technicalities to prioritizing substantial justice. “Consequently, the objection of the prosecution is hereby overruled,” he ruled, marking the document as Exhibit 19.
The development came during the cross-examination of the EFCC’s third prosecution witness (PW-3), Mr. Nicholas Ojehomon, an internal auditor with the American International School. The anti-graft agency alleged that Bello, through proxies, had wired funds into the school’s account to cover tuition fees for his four children, including an advance payment for a fifth unborn child, using money drawn from the coffers of the Kogi State Government.
However, under cross-examination by Daudu, the witness admitted that no funds were directly paid into the school’s account from the Kogi State treasury, nor did the name Yahaya Bello appear on any of the school’s transaction lists. He further confirmed that the children’s admissions followed the institution’s due process.
Ojehomon revealed that after receiving a letter from the EFCC alleging that the tuition funds were proceeds of crime, the school refunded a total of $760,910.84 to an account provided by the commission.
Meanwhile, the EFCC informed the court that it has lined up 28 more witnesses to testify against Bello in the ongoing 19-count charge. Lead prosecution counsel, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, disclosed that 10 of these witnesses would be subpoenaed to tender documents in court.
The EFCC has accused Bello of using five proxies to acquire 13 choice properties in Abuja and Dubai with illicit funds, as well as attempting to conceal over N3 billion and wiring over $700,000 to a U.S. account, in violation of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act. Others implicated in the case include Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello, and four others: Dauda Suleiman, Shehu Bello, Rabiu Musa, and Hudu.
The former governor, who piloted the affairs of Kogi State from 2016 to 2024, has pleaded not guilty and is currently on bail pending the trial’s conclusion.
Justice Nwite adjourned further hearing in the matter to Friday to allow for the continued cross-examination of the third witness.
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