By Danjuma Amodu
Abuja | April 26, 2026
Justice Emeka Nwite overrules defence claim as EFCC witness tells court $300,000 for Yahaya Bello’s daughters’ fees was paid in cash through third parties.
The trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello resumed on Friday, April 24, 2026, before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with the court dismissing an objection by the defence and allowing the prosecution to continue its case.
Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 19-count charge of alleged money laundering amounting to ₦80,246,470,088.88.
At the resumed hearing, Justice Nwite ruled on an objection raised by defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, at the previous sitting. The judge held that the objection lacked merit.
Daudu had argued that the prosecution was attempting to contradict its own witness and suggested the witness should have been declared hostile. Lead prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, countered that the witness “was very unequivocal and unambiguous.”
In his ruling, Justice Nwite described the objection as “speculative and misconceived,” noting that Section 239 of the Evidence Act applied. He overruled the objection and ordered the continuation of trial.
Pinheiro then continued the examination-in-chief of the twelfth prosecution witness, PW12, Jamilu Abdullahi, a Bureau de Change operator.
Abdullahi testified that he dealt primarily with one Abba Adaudu on multiple foreign exchange conversions.
“I remember giving Ali, a police officer, a MOPOL, dollars at Fraser Suites on Abba Adaudu’s instruction. Whenever he was not available, he usually sent people to pick up his dollars,” the witness told the court.
He also explained transactions linked to school fees payments, stating that he relied on fellow BDC operators when he lacked sufficient dollar inflow.
“Alyeshua Services, Forza Oil and Gas and Whales Oil and Gas Limited are companies belonging to my colleagues. When I didn’t have the required inflow to process school fees payments, I contacted them, agreed on rates and paid them to handle the transactions,” he said.
According to him, Adaudu gave the instruction for the fees. “He came with a friend on a Saturday with cash in dollars and asked me to transfer the money for the payment of school fees for Zahra and Fatima Bello. The transfers were successful,” Abdullahi said.
Shown documents earlier tendered by the prosecution, the witness identified several as records of transactions he facilitated, though he noted a few were not directly handled by him.
Under cross-examination by the defence, Abdullahi confirmed he made only one statement to the EFCC on the matter. “My statement was taken on May 10, 2022, and it is the only statement I made to the EFCC on this matter,” he said.
He clarified that while he did not personally execute all transfers, he instructed and facilitated them. “Yes, I instructed the transactions, though I did not carry them out myself,” he said.
On the source of funds, the witness maintained the money did not come from accounts previously referenced in court. “The $300,000 used for the school fees was given to me in cash by Abba Adaudu and his associate. I did not use funds from those accounts for the payments,” he said.
Abdullahi further explained the operational practice in the BDC market. “In the Bureau de Change market, when one cannot handle a transaction due to insufficient inflow, colleagues are engaged. I gave both cash dollars and naira transfers based on agreed rates to facilitate the payments,” he said.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to May 6 and 7, 2026, for continuation of cross-examination of PW12 and further trial.
