Yahaya Bello: Witness details how N757m was withdrawn from Kogi govt account in two days

…As court adjourns matter till November 12 and 13

A prosecution witness on Thursday told a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama how multi-million-naira withdrawals were made from the Kogi State Government account in transactions linked to the ongoing trial of former governor Yahaya Adoza Bello.

The sixth prosecution witness (PW6), Mshelia Arhyel, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc, made the revelation while testifying before Justice Maryanne Anineh. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving ₦110.4 billion.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro, Arhyel told the court that the third defendant, Abdulsalami Hudu, made several multi-million-naira withdrawals from the Kogi State Government House account in early 2016.

“On the 19th January 2016, there were five debit entries, of which the beneficiary of these withdrawals is Abdulsalam Hudu. On 12th February 2016, there were 21 debit entries and the beneficiary is Abdulsalam Hudu; eight of the withdrawals were ₦10 million each. Additional nine of the withdrawals were also for Abdulsalami Hudu,” she said.

The witness further disclosed a pattern of frequent cash withdrawals below the ₦10 million threshold. “On 17 and 18 February 2016, there were various cash payments, and on 24th, 25th and 26th February and the 3rd of March 2016, there were various cash withdrawals in favour of Abdulsalam Hudu. In the withdrawal of 3rd of March 2016, there were 37 transactions and all are below ₦10 million. There are consistent multiple cash withdrawals on different dates by Abdulsalam Hudu. They were all below the ₦10 million and below the threshold,” she said.

Arhyel also told the court that in 2018, more large withdrawals were made in Hudu’s name. “On 30th and 31st January 2018, there were cheque withdrawals by Abdulsalami Hudu which were ₦10 million each. On 30th January 2018, the total cash withdrawals amounted to ₦350 million and on 31 January 2018, the withdrawals totalled ₦357,267,000 — everything totalling ₦757,267,000 in two days,” she testified.

She also presented account statements for several other entities, including Aleshua Solutions Services, noting that on May 6, 2022, transactions included transfers of $2,500 from B.O. Rosemary Chukwuma and two separate $5,000 transfers to an individual identified as Yau.

Arhyel further revealed that on December 6, 2016, the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service made payments totalling ₦202,302,740.20, followed by ₦101 million in cash withdrawals in favour of Jamiu Salawo. Additional withdrawals of ₦66 million and ₦167 million were also made in April 2017.

The court also heard from Victoria Oluwafemi, a compliance officer with Polaris Bank, who appeared as the fifth prosecution witness (PW5) on Wednesday. She told the court that SFC Foods Limited received credit transactions from different sources amounting to ₦450 million on December 21, 2021, while JIT Agric Limited received multiple transfers totalling ₦150 million on December 23 and 24, 2021.

Defence counsel J.B. Dauda, SAN, and A.M. Aliyu, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the documents presented by the prosecution, arguing non-compliance with Sections 83, 84, and 165 of the Evidence Act.

However, prosecuting counsel Pinheiro urged the court to discountenance the objections.

Justice Anineh adjourned the matter till November 12 and 13, 2025, for continuation of trial.