The trial of Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State continued on Monday, March 9, 2026 with the 11th Prosecution Witness, PW11, James Bem Igbakymeh, narrating before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, how a man identified as Shehu Bello purchased a property, located in Wuse II, Abuja at the cost of ₦650 million.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is prosecuting Yahaya Bello on a 19-count charge, bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of ₦80,246,470,088.88.
Igbakymeh, a lawyer, told the court that sometime in October 2021, his client instructed him to sell a property, located on Plot 1058, Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse II, Abuja.
According to him, he placed a banner on the property to attract prospective buyers, after which a man identified as Shehu Bello contacted him.
“He inquired about my office and came to meet me to negotiate for the purchase of the property,” he said.
He disclosed that after negotiations, both parties agreed on a price of ₦650 million.
The witness explained that the payment was made into three designated accounts provided by his client.
“My lord, the monies were paid into three designated accounts — SFC Foods Limited in Polaris Bank, JIT Agric Limited in Polaris Bank, and SFC Foods Limited in Heritage Bank,” he said.
He further told the court that the payments were made through different bureau de change operators before the property documents were eventually handed over to the buyer.
The witness also informed the court that EFCC investigators later invited him during the course of their investigation.
“Sometime after the completion of the transaction, I received a call from one Mohammed from the EFCC office in Lagos informing me that they were investigating a matter in which I had featured prominently and asking me to meet them at their Wuse II office in Abuja,” he said.
According to him, he honoured the invitation, wrote a statement, and submitted transaction documents to the Commission.
When shown the Offer Letter and Deed of Assignment relating to the transaction, the witness confirmed that he could identify them.
“The letter was written by me and the Deed of Assignment was the one we signed. I can see the signature of my client and mine,” he told the court.
The prosecution subsequently tendered the documents in evidence. Although the defence reserved its objections until the final written address, Justice Nwite admitted the Deed of Assignment and the Offer Letter as Exhibits 44 and 45, respectively.
When asked to look at the last page of Exhibit 45, the witness told the court that the name indicated as the assignee was Ali Bello.
However, when asked whether Ali Bello and Shehu Bello were the same person, he replied, “No.”
Explaining the discrepancy, he said both men had appeared together during the negotiation process.
“My lord, during the course of the transaction, Shehu Bello came to my office with Ali Bello on two occasions during the negotiations,” he said.
Under cross-examination, the witness admitted that he was not the one who prepared the Deed of Assignment.
“It was brought to me by the people who wanted to buy the property,” he said.
He also confirmed that the name appearing as the assignee in the document was Ali Bello.
After his testimony, the witness was discharged.
The prosecution then called its 12th witness, PW12, Jamilu Abdullahi, a bureau de change operator.
Abdullahi told the court that he owned three companies: Kunfayakun Global Limited, E-Traders International Limited, and De-Remita International Limited.
He confirmed making a statement to the EFCC in 2021, which the court admitted in evidence as Exhibit 36.
The witness also confirmed that he was the signatory to the accounts of the companies and that he operated a personal account with Access Bank.
While identifying earlier admitted bank statements, he said Exhibit 33(1) was his personal Access Bank account, Exhibit 33(6) belonged to E-Traders International Limited, while Exhibit 37(1) belonged to Kunfayakun Global Limited.
Abdullahi further told the court that he met one Abba Adaudu in 2021 at Zenith Bank in Apo, Abuja, where they exchanged contacts after discovering that he is into foreign exchange transactions.
According to him, Adaudu later began sending funds to him for foreign exchange transactions. He testified that several deposits were made into his account in tranches of ₦10 million each.
When his attention was drawn to transactions dated December 29 and 30, 2021, showing deposits totaling ₦60 million made at Access Bank in Lokoja, the witness said he did not personally make the deposits.
“My name was used as the narration, but I was not the one who paid the money. It was Abba Adaudu,” he said.
He further told the court that he had never visited the Access Bank branch in Lokoja.
“Not in my life, my lord,” he said.
According to him, whenever funds were deposited, he converted them to foreign currency and handed the cash dollars to Adaudu.
“I converted them to dollars and gave them to Abba Adaudu,” he said, adding that the transactions lasted for more than a year.
He further explained that the inflows were sometimes cash deposits and, at other times, transfers from companies linked to Adaudu, including Keyless Nature Limited and Ejadams Essence Limited.
The witness also told the court that he sometimes instructed other companies to effect international transfers on his behalf, including payments of school fees to the American International School.
While being led through multiple transactions in the E-Traders International Limited account statement, he confirmed that several deposits running into hundreds of millions of naira were made on the instructions of Abba Adaudu on various dates between 2021 and 2022.
However, during the proceedings, the witness informed the court that he was exhausted due to fasting and could not continue with his testimony. He consequently stood down to continue his testimony on the next adjourned date.
Earlier in the proceedings, Justice Nwite delivered a ruling on the admissibility of two documents relating to the alleged sale of Plot 1160, Cadastral Zone, Gwarimpa II, Abuja, reportedly sold for ₦100 million.
The judge held that the documents were admissible in evidence.
“In view of the above, I am of the opinion that the authorities cited are in tandem with the scenario at hand, where the prosecution has clearly put it before the court that the intent and purpose of tendering the documents is only to indicate the existence of a transaction and nothing more.
“Therefore, this Honourable Court holds that the documents sought to be tendered are admissible,” Justice Nwite ruled.
Consequently, the court admitted the documents in evidence, marking the Irrevocable Power of Attorney as Exhibit 42 and the Deed of Assignment as Exhibit 43.
Following the ruling, prosecution counsel, Chukwudi Enebeli, SAN, continued the examination-in-chief of the 10th prosecution witness, PW10, Mahmoud Abdulaziz, an accountant with Dantata and Sawoe Construction Limited.
While identifying the documents earlier tendered, Abdulaziz told the court that Exhibit 31 was a Keystone Bank account statement belonging to Dantata and Sawoe Construction Limited.
He further explained that Exhibit 42 was the Irrevocable Power of Attorney between Dantata and Sawoe Construction Limited and Azba Real Estate Limited, while Exhibit 43 was the Deed of Assignment executed between the two companies.
Explaining how the name of Azba Real Estate Limited appeared on the Deed of Assignment, the witness said the construction company authorised the arrangement.
“My lord, Dantata and Sawoe gave consent and assigned Azba to execute the deed. They, Azba, then gave us the two documents. Our director signed on behalf of Dantata, and Ali Bello signed on behalf of Azba,” he said.
During cross-examination by defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, the witness admitted that he was not present when the documents were signed.
Asked whether he could identify the signatories, he said he could recognise the signatures of his company’s directors.
“My lord, I can identify the signatures of our two directors. The names are Mubarak Dantata and Nasiru A. Dantata,” he said.
However, he told the court that he could not identify who signed on behalf of Azba Real Estate Limited.
With no further questions from both parties, the witness was discharged.
Following the witness’s testimony, lead prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, moved a motion dated February 2, 2026, seeking to set aside an earlier order of the court, permitting the defendant to travel abroad.
Pinheiro told the court that the application was filed based on fresh developments and security concerns.
“My lord, we are just being careful and concerned that the defendant should remain in Nigeria to face his trial to prevent the possibility of extradition and incarceration in another country,” he said.
However, defence counsel Daudu opposed the application, arguing that the defendant had already been granted bail, which allowed him freedom of movement, and that he remained presumed to be innocent.
He also argued that the presence of an Interpol Red Notice on the system could complicate the travel arrangement.
“Allowing him to travel without removing the Red Notice is like giving him something with the left hand and collecting it back with the right hand,” he said.
After listening to both parties, Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until April 22, 23 and 24, 2026, and May 6 and 7, 2026, for continuation of trial.
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