By Charles Maduka
The Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted statements of accounts belonging to the Kogi State Government House Administration during the tenure of former Governor Yahaya Bello as exhibits in an ongoing corruption trial.
The development came during Thursday’s session of the trial in which Bello and six others face allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of misappropriating ₦80.2 billion in public funds.
The fourth prosecution witness, Mshelia Bata, a compliance officer from Zenith Bank, submitted seven sets of account statements alongside certificates of identification to authenticate the documents in accordance with legal standards.
Although defence counsel J.B. Daudu (SAN) objected to the admission of the documents, he reserved his arguments for the final written address.
Bata, testifying under subpoena, explained that prior to the implementation of Nigeria’s cashless policy, government withdrawals were capped at ₦10 million per transaction. He cited one such withdrawal of ₦10 million made under the name Abdulsalami Hudu on May 23, 2016, noting that nine cash transactions occurred on that same day.
He also testified that ten credit transactions totaling approximately ₦1.092 billion were recorded on January 30, 2018, with overall withdrawals amounting to ₦1.968 billion between May 2 and May 19 of that year.
During court proceedings, prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) described the trial as politically significant, referring to Bello as a former governor and former presidential aspirant. However, Daudu dismissed this narrative, insisting the case is purely about allegations of money laundering.
Meanwhile, the court ruled against the EFCC’s attempt to cross-examine its third prosecution witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, an auditor at the American International School in Abuja. Justice Emeka Nwite emphasized that such questioning would only be permissible if the prosecution declared the witness hostile. He restricted any re-examination to specific parts of a judgment document already admitted as evidence.
Ojehomon had previously testified that there were no records of fee transfers from Kogi State or its local governments to the school. He also referenced a Federal Capital Territory High Court judgment stating that no order had been issued for the school to refund the said funds to the EFCC.
The trial continues, with cross-examination of the prosecution’s witness expected to resume at the next hearing.
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