Yahaya Bello
Abdullahi, who testified as the third witness in the case against the former Governor, elaborated on how the transactions were conducted during proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that Abdullahi is serving as the third witness for the prosecution in the trial of Ali Bello, the former governor’s nephew, along with co-defendants Abba Daudu, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat. The defendants face 18 charges related to money laundering and misappropriation, totaling over ₦3 billion.
A statement released by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity for the EFCC, indicated that Abdullahi revealed that on one occasion, Daudu, the second defendant, delivered $300,000 in cash to cover the school fees for Yahaya Bello’s daughters.
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The witness recounted, “Abba Daudu called me to say that they have a transaction though it was on the weekend, but I drove down to the office and waited for them to come. Upon their arrival, three of them came. One of them stayed in the car with the driver, two of them walked to my office, and a friend of Abba Daudu was holding a black leather bag containing $300,000.
“Upon entering, he greeted, and Abba Daudu introduced him as his friend and business partner, saying he had a transaction. He dropped $300,000 in cash. I wanted to count the dollars before they left, but I could not due to the power outage. I told him I could not use my hands and needed to confirm that it was $300,000, so I locked the dollars in my office safe, and two of them left.
“Then, Abba Daudu’s friend said when I confirmed the sum, details would be forwarded to me for payment. However, the sum of $300,000 attracts some service charges which he said I should calculate and let Abba Daudu know. “
He added, “After I completed the transfer, I forwarded four receipts indicating $75,000 four times to Abba Daudu, and he confirmed to me that the payment was confirmed successfully.”
Oyewale said when asked by the prosecution counsel if he knew anything regarding the transactions on Exhibit D, Pages 50, 52 and 53, he said: “Yes I know the transactions of $75,000, being paid to the school four times totalling, the sum of $300,000 as forwarded by Abba Daudu and further confirmed that the fees were paid for one of Yahaya Bello’s daughters.”
Yahaya Bello
Oyewale said another payment of the fees, the witness recalled, was done by a company, Aleshua Solutions Services, which, he said, paid the sum of $42,170 for Naima Ohunene Bello on January 24, 20222.
On Page One of Exhibit D, he identified a transaction of $44,675 also for Naima Bello.
“I have seen it on the receipt of the payment. Forty-four thousand, seven hundred dollars, ($44,700) was paid to the school, but due to internal charges from the bank, 25 dollars was deducted, making the total balance of $44,675.00,” the witness was quoted as saying.
He sent four receipts indicating payments of $75,000 each to Abba Daudu, who confirmed the successful payment.
When questioned by the prosecution about transactions referenced in Exhibit D, Pages 50, 52, and 53, Abdullahi affirmed his knowledge, stating, “Yes, I am aware of the $75,000 payments made to the school four times, totaling $300,000, as confirmed by Abba Daudu for one of Yahaya Bello’s daughters.”
He also recalled another payment made by Aleshua Solutions Services, which paid $42,170 for Naima Ohunene Bello on January 24, 2022. Abdullahi identified a transaction of $44,675 for Naima Bello, explaining, “I saw it on the payment receipt. $44,700 was paid to the school, but due to internal bank charges, $25 was deducted, leaving a total of $44,675.”
He confirmed that the beneficiary institution was the American International School.
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