The trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello continued on Wednesday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented more details in its ongoing ₦110 billion fraud case against him.
Bello, who governed Kogi State between 2016 and 2024, is facing trial alongside two former state officials, Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu. The three are accused of involvement in money laundering and the diversion of public funds.
During the court session, the third prosecution witness, Williams Abimbola, who works as a compliance officer with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), gave an account of several cash transactions linked to the Kogi State Government House account. She explained that one of the defendants, Abdulsalami Hudu, made several withdrawals of ₦10 million each between July 31 and August 6, 2019.
Abimbola told the court that all withdrawals were carried out according to standard banking procedures and that the transactions did not break any banking rules. She explained that while banks request explanations for large electronic transfers, they usually do not ask questions about the purpose of cash withdrawals.
Her main duty, she said, was to ensure the bank’s compliance and reputation were maintained, not to monitor how clients spent their money.When presented with bank statements, Abimbola confirmed that the credit entries were described as “governor’s security fund,” with ₦100 million credited in two parts.
She, however, said she could not confirm how the withdrawn funds were used, as that was beyond her knowledge. She added that she had no personal relationship with any of the defendants and that all transactions were done according to the account’s mandate and within legal withdrawal limits.
In an earlier court session, another witness, Mashelia Arhyel Dada, who serves as a compliance officer at Zenith Bank, testified about a separate set of withdrawals amounting to over ₦1.09 billion from the Kogi State Government House Administration Account within three days.
According to Dada, those withdrawals appeared to go against the Central Bank of Nigeria’s cashless policy.The EFCC insists that the transactions formed part of a larger pattern of financial mismanagement allegedly carried out during Bello’s tenure as governor.
The trial has continued to draw public interest as the court proceedings progress, with more witnesses expected to testify and more documents to be presented before the court in the coming sessions.