Yahaya Bello
By Abdullahi Abubakar
A prosecution witness on Thursday, June 26, 2025, revealed in court how over ₦1.09 billion was withdrawn within three days from the Kogi State Government House’s Administration Account, amid the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, over alleged ₦80.2 billion fraud.
Testifying before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, the witness, Mashelia Arhyel Dada, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, Maitama Branch, gave a detailed account of multiple questionable transactions linked to the alleged financial misconduct.
Dada, who appeared as the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), was summoned under a subpoena.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Dada explained that his testimony was based on seven sets of documents submitted in response to the subpoena served on the bank’s managing director.
The documents were admitted into evidence as Exhibits 20 to 24C.
Among the key accounts examined were those operated by individuals and corporate entities, including Adamu Jagafa Ishaya, Whales Oil and Gas, Jimeda Properties Nigeria Limited, Alyeshua Solutions, and critically, the Kogi State Government House’s Administration Account.
Pinheiro drew the court’s attention to what he described as a flagrant violation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) cashless policy.
According to Dada, the bank records showed that the volume of cash withdrawals significantly exceeded CBN’s approved limits of ₦500,000 for individuals and ₦5 million for corporate or government accounts, often attracting penalty charges.
Meanwhile, Dada testified that between January 30 and February 1, 2018, a total of ₦697,267,000 was withdrawn in ₦10 million tranches through cheques issued in the name of one Abdulsalami Hudu.
On February 2, 2018, an additional ₦99,573,000 was withdrawn in similar tranches and several other withdrawals totalling N1.09billion within three days.
The prosecution also revealed that on February 1, 2018, a transfer of ₦3,325,000 was made from the same Kogi Government account to one Ali Bello.
Dada further disclosed that this pattern of suspicious transactions continued in subsequent years.
However, on May 6, May 11, and May 19, 2022, the same account received ₦100 million on each date from the Kogi State Statutory Revenue Account. These inflows were immediately followed by multiple cash withdrawals in ₦10million tranches, primarily by Abdulsalami Hudu and another named beneficiary, Alhassan Omakoji.
Referring to pages 395 to 401 of the account statement, the witness testified that nearly every credit inflow was swiftly followed by cheque withdrawals, often made out to the same individuals on the same day.
Dada further revealed that on September 7, 2023, the account registered 11 separate cash withdrawals of ₦10 million each—double the ₦5 million transaction limit—incurring a surcharge of ₦500,000 per withdrawal. This resulted in a total surcharge of ₦4.75 million for that single day.
In another instance, on January 20, 2018, the account received 10 separate credit inflows from the Kogi State Statutory Account, amounting to over ₦697 million.
These credits were again followed by a series of ₦10 million cash withdrawals, issued to Hudu and others. On January 31, Hudu alone reportedly withdrew a total of ₦347,267,000 in 36 separate transactions.
Prosecuting counsel Pinheiro also presented the account opening documents contained on pages 2 to 23 of Exhibit 22A, and the complete bank statement spanning pages 24 to 413. The earliest recorded transaction dated back to February 12, 2016.
Dada went on to explain the six standard columns on the bank statement: date posted, value date, transaction description, debit, credit, and balance.
He also clarified the meanings of various transaction types, including NEFT and NIP transfers.
Although the defence, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria J.B. Daudu, initially objected to the admissibility of some documents, they chose to defer their arguments.
Justice Emeka Nwite admitted all the documents into evidence and marked them accordingly.
However, the case was adjourned to Friday, June 27, 2025, for cross-examination and continuation of trial.
Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello over allegations of massive misappropriation of state funds during his tenure as governor between 2016 and 2023. The trial continues.
