No Evidence Linking Yahaya Bello To LG Payments

No Evidence Linking Yahaya Bello To LG Payments – EFCC Witness Tells Court
₦109m from LG accounts funded council supplies.
Court adjourned trial to March 10 to 12.

A prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday told a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory that funds withdrawn from several Kogi State local government accounts were used to pay for goods and services supplied to the councils.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the witness, Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank Plc, appeared as the tenth prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

Egoro informed the court that more than ₦109 million traced to different local government accounts was spent on agrochemicals, medical items, sports materials and relief supplies meant for the councils.

At the start of his testimony, he tendered 13 documents, including account opening forms and bank statements linked to the Kogi State Government House Administration and contractors involved in the transactions.

Counsel to the second and third defendants objected to the documents, arguing that the attached certificate did not comply with the Evidence Act. They said they would address the issue in their final written addresses. Prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, described the objection as premature and said he would respond fully at the final stage. The court admitted the documents provisionally and said it would determine the weight to attach to them later.

Egoro also explained transactions in the Government House Administration account and identified Exhibit AP, containing bank records of Fazab Business Enterprise from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2024.

Under cross examination, he confirmed that Fazab had contracts with several councils and that payments covered educational materials, medical supplies, farm inputs and flood relief for affected councils in 2022.

No Evidence Linking Yahaya Bello To LG Payments – EFCC Witness Tells Court

He stated that he was not the relationship manager for the accounts and confirmed that Bello did not serve as a local government chairman during the period reviewed. He did not link any transaction to Bello as beneficiary or signatory. The case was adjourned to March 10, 11 and 12 for further hearing.