Three witnesses of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday admitted before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that although there were massive withdrawals from Kogi State Government House Administration bank accounts, former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, was not a beneficiary of the transactions.
The witnesses — Mshelia Arhyel Bata of Zenith Bank, Mohammed Hassan of Keystone Bank, and Gabriel Oche of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) — testified for the anti-graft agency in the ongoing trial of Bello and two others over alleged corruption.
During their testimonies, the bank officials tendered various documents, including account opening packages and statements of account from their respective banks, detailing numerous withdrawals from the Kogi State Government House Administration accounts. However, upon examination of the documents, the witnesses confirmed that Bello’s name did not appear anywhere in the records.
They specifically told the court that Bello was neither a signatory to the accounts nor a beneficiary of any of the withdrawals.
Mshelia Arhyel Bata of Zenith Bank, while being cross-examined by Bello’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, stated that after carefully reviewing the bank statements, he could not find the former governor’s name as a beneficiary. He added that the documents did not disclose the purpose of the withdrawals but noted that the pattern of transactions was consistent.
Bata further identified Chris Enefola, a former Permanent Secretary; Onekutu Daniel, a Chief Accountant; and Abdulsalami Hudu, an Accountant, as the signatories to the accounts.
Another EFCC witness, Mohammed Hassan of Keystone Bank, testified regarding the Dantata and Sawoe accounts. He told the court that he was neither the account officer nor the relationship manager for the accounts and, as such, did not have firsthand knowledge of their operations.
Similarly, Gabriel Oche of FCMB testified that several payments were made to the American International School, Abuja, through an account belonging to Kunfayakun Global Limited. However, he said he had no personal or professional relationship with any of the signatories to the account.
Oche further confirmed that based on the documents provided by FCMB, the names of Yahaya Bello and the two other defendants did not feature in any of the transactions.
At the proceedings, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, appeared for the EFCC, while Joseph Daudu, SAN, represented Yahaya Bello and Umar Shuaib Oricha. Z. E. Abbass appeared for the third defendant, Abdulsalami Hudu.
Justice Maryann Anenih subsequently adjourned the case to January 16 for continuation of trial.
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