Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC says he could not arrest the former Governor of Kogi State when the former governor came to the car park arena of the Commission’s Headquarters recently because he was holding the hand of the current Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo who have immunity.

EFCC stated this on Wednesday while giving account before Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on why the former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello was absent at the court.

According to EFCC, if they had made an attempt to arrest the former governor the commission’s car park, there would have been a possible anarchy because the governor, Usman Ododo came almost entirely with the security operatives attached to his office.

Meanwhile, a witness also narrated how the former governor was sending money out of Kogi State Government coffers to him to covert the state funds to dollar for the payment of his children’s school fees.

Details of this and other related news releases by the Public Relations Unit of EFCC are presented below:

Alleged ₦3 Billion Fraud: How Money Flowed from Kogi State Government to my Accounts-BDC Operator

Jamilu Abdullahi, an Abuja-based Bureau de Change operator and third prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Bello,
on Thursday, September 26, 2024, gave a narrative of the financial transactions between him and the Kogi State government under former governor, Yahaya Bello before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama Abuja.

The rundown includes how the former governor repeatedly paid school fees of his three daughters in dollars through him and his companies.

Ali Bello, the current Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, is the nephew of Yahaya Bello. He is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on 18-count charges of money laundering and misappropriation to the tune of over ₦3 billion, alongside Abba Daudu, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness disclosed that in one of the occasions, Daudu, the second defendant brought $300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Dollars) in cash to him for the payment of Yahaya Bello’s daughters’
school fees.

“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 black leather bag containing $300,000.

“Upon entering, he greeted and Abba Daudu introduced him as his friend and business partner saying he has 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 cannot 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 will 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. 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,” he 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 was paid for one of Yahaya Bello’s daughters. “And the name of the recipient is Naima Ohunene Bello,” he said.
Another payment of the fees, he recalled, was done by a company, Aleshua Solutions Services which, he said paid the sum of $42,170 for Naima Ohunene Bello.

“It was paid on behalf of the student Naima Ohunene Bello for school fees based on the instruction and as forwarded by Abba Daudu, and the date is 24th January, 2022.”

On Page 7 of the Exhibit D, was $78,160 he identified as payment for school fees
through Aleshua Solutions Services in respect of another Yahaya Bello’s daughter, Fatima Oziohu Bello.

“Based on the receipt before me, I am seeing acknowledgement of $78,135 being paid for Fatima Bello and on the Aleshua Solutions Services”, he said.

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,” he said.

The beneficiary school, he told the court, was American International School (AIS).
Regarding transactions from Daudu’s company, Keyless Nature Limited to his own Kunfayakun company’s account on December 15 and 17, 2021, he said: “I received the sum of ₦100 million on the 15th December 2021 from Keyless Nature. On the 17th December, 2021, I received ₦400 million. Meanwhile on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd, December 2021, I received ₦100 million. On the 22nd
December 2021, I received the sum of ₦100 million only. On the 23rd December 2021, I received ₦35 million.

“I also received payment from Remita International in the sum of ₦40 million on 12th December, 2021, and there was an entry of ₦33 million on the 17th of December 2021. On the 7th February 2022, I confirmed the receipt of ₦90 million from Keyless Nature,” he said.

Counsel to Ali Bello, first defendant A.M Aliyu, who wished to cross-examine the witness, asked for adjournment to enable him study and have a full grasp of the massive facts and figures involved. Nurain Jimoh, counsel to the second, third and fourth defendant, agreed with him, while the prosecution counsel objected to the adjournment on the account that the witness has been in the dock since February 6, 2023.

“I believe the cross-examination of PW 3 should begin. If there are other grounds, however, the application can be sustained. If not, I urge your lordship to turn it down.

Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter till October 25, 2024 and November 5 and 6, 2024 for continuation of trial.

It could be recalled that while testifying on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, the witness identified that Page 9 of Exhibit D, also
contained $11,000 payment by Whales Oil and Gas to AIS, which was done based on Daudu’s directive being the one who gave him the account details into which he made the payment.

He further explained on the same date that exhibits 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 were all payments to AIS. Exhibit 16, he said, captured payments of $7,653 to Bello Nana Fatima. The same he said applied to the payment of $19,296 on Page 17 and $7,725 on Page 18, while pages 19, 20 and 21 captured payments of $6,611.29, $21,470 and $21,492 respectively in favour of Zahra Bello.

He also narrated on September 24, 2024 how cash lodgments running into millions of naira were made into his E-Traders International Limited and Kunfayakun companies’ accounts as well as to his personal account by Daudu.

According to him, on July 27, 2021 he received ₦10 million and on August
19, 20(21), there was a cash deposit of ₦100 million in ₦10 million tranches and ₦100 million deposit on August 25, 2021.

On August 30, 2021, he disclosed that there was ₦63 million deposit and an additional ₦50 million, a day later on August 31, 2021 into his account. He further disclosed that on September 2, 2021, there was a double ₦30 million lodgment totaling ₦60 million.
He stated that the inflows into his accounts continued on October 8, 2021, with a transfer of ₦60 million and a double inflow of ₦130 million and ₦139.5 million on November 4, 2021.

On November 10, 2021, ₦25,134,000, flowed in; another N50 million, he said, flowed in on November 12, 2021and ₦200 million on November 30, 2021. The inflows, he said, continued on December 1, 20(21) with ₦220 million and
₦16,008,000 on December 3, 2021. On December 22, 2012, he said ₦40 million flowed in from the same source.

The witness in his September 24, 2024 testimony also admitted that Kayless Nature Limited made a deposit of ₦100 million to him on December 21, 2021 with the authorization of the second defendant.

On December 22, 2021, another ₦100 million, he said, flowed in from Kayless
Nature Limited, and another ₦60 million from the company on December 29, 2021.

The financial traffic continued on the New Year. According to him, on January
18, 2022, ₦40 million flowed in and continued thereafter. “On the 19th of January, 2022, I received ₦50 million, while on the 24th, 2022, I received ₦30 million, and on the 28 of that same January, 2022, I received ₦40 million cash in four tranches, and another ₦120 million. On January 31, 2022, I received an inflow of ₦160 million, while on February 1,2022, I received ₦110 million, and ₦150 million on February 8, 2022,” he said.

He further disclosed that on March 2, 2022, a total of ₦84 million was deposited in his account with another lodgment of ₦122, 980,000 on March 10, 2022 and ₦60 million on March 21, 2022.
On April 5, 2022, he stated that ₦150 million flowed in and ₦140 million, a day after on April 6, 2022.

EFCC Tackles Yahaya Bello’s Non-Appearance in Court for Arraignment

Lead prosecution counsel in the trial of former governor of Kogi State Yahaya Adoza Bello, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 told Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja that the recent appearance of Bello at the parking lots of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was out of place as both the trial court and Court of Appeal clearly ordered him to present himself for arraignment in the ₦80.2 billion money laundering charges preferred against him by the EFCC.

“There is nowhere my Lordship or the Court of Appeal ordered that Yahaya Bello present himself at the EFCC car park, but rather to appear before my Lordship for arraignment. What is even more worrisome and disconcerting is that the defendant went to the EFCC car park holding the hands of a person with immunity who came with all the full security of his office”.

“The implication, my Lord, is if there was an attempt to get him from the person of immunity, there would be an invitation to anarchy. The invitation by the EFCC later in the day for Yahaya Bello to come alone, not with a person with immunity, security persons and other people was resisted again on their own admission”, he said.

Speaking further, Pinheiro pointed out that, “My Lord, we wrote a letter to the defendant’s lawyers drawing our colleagues’ attention that arraignment is not conducted in EFCC’s car park, but the defendant should be in court today according to the judgment of the Court of Appeal and this honourable court’s ruling”.
Pinheiro also urged the judge to demonstrate his might and exercise his power to show Bello’s counsel A M Agboyi that the court is not a vaudeville for entertainment but for serious business.

“This court is not a vaudeville, a vaudeville is a place of diverse entertainment. I want to borrow the words of Justice Uwaifo that no party should make a court a place of entertainment. The court must resist it. It is a place of serious and solemn business”, he said.

He specifically sought the order of the court for Agboyi to be sanctioned and referred to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee , LPDC, for turning the court to a vaudeville.

My Lord, it is against this backdrop that I will make this assertion that my learned friend wants to turn this place to an entertainment place or a casino. I want the court to use its power against him, because his senior advocates have left and they pushed him, so that it will serve as a lesson to others,” he said. He also sought leave of the court to proceed to the trial of Bello in absentia.

Meanwhile, Abdul Mohammed SAN, counsel to Adeola Adedipe SAN, craved the indulgence of the court to exercise its discretion not to charge Adedipe for contempt.

“Our application is filed on the 18th of July 2024, it is supported by an 11- paragraph affidavit deposed to by the applicant, Mr Adeola Adedipe. That affidavit has an exhibit marked A, and in compliance with my Lord is a written address.

“We are urging my Lord to exercise his discretion, we are on bended knees begging you to exercise your discretion and grant the prayers that are contained in the affidavit”, he said.

After listening to the counsels, Justice Nwite stressed that “the matter is slated for arraignment, and it seems it has gone back to square one. It’s been over five months now and I don’t know how the case is going. With the submission made by counsels this morning, it’s quite unfortunate, but I have to reserve my comments, I have to reserve judgement on the submission of these counsels”.
He thereafter adjourned the matter till October 30, 2024 for arraignment and ruling.

The EFCC is prosecuting Bello on 18-count charges bordering on money laundering to the tune of ₦80.2 billion.

Yahaya Bello Must Have his Day in Court

It is public knowledge that a former governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello had made several unsuccessful attempts to throw spanners in his ongoing trial through some irresponsible and utterly rascally efforts. The appropriate place of surrender would be before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, before whom his legal team had undertaken to produce him to answer to the 18-count charges of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Yahaya Bello should be more interested in clearing his name than playing the victim and crying persecution, where none exists.

To even insinuate that he was the target of a phantom assassination attempt because the EFCC made efforts to effect his arrest at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge where he had been hiding, is preposterous. It is the first time in the Commission’s more than two decades existence that such a jejune claim would be made. This is no more than scaremongering, intended to scandalise the Commission.

But EFCC is not deterred by this, and other shenanigans by the ex-governor. The Commission remains committed to ensuring that the law takes its course in the money laundering charges already filed against Yahaya Bello in Court.

EFCC is eager to engage the former governor in the courtroom where the avalanche of evidence so painstakingly assembled can be presented and arguments marshalled for justice to be served to all parties involved in this saga.

The true test of Yahaya Bello’s willingness to abide by the law in the criminal proceedings instituted against him at the Federal High Court Abuja by the EFCC, is to present himself to the court in obedience to the order of Justice Nwite. His presence in court is the only step that will convince Nigerians that his touted submission to the EFCC which was widely reported in the media on September 18, was not a stunt

Till date, Bello is yet to take his plea in the alleged ₦80.2 billion money laundering charges preferred against him before Justice Nwite. His invasion of the corporate headquarters of the Commission with a retinue of security details, hand-to-hand cahoots and carriage with a sitting governor having immunity, unwarranted media blitz, scripted sleight of hands unknown to the public and other backend intelligence available to the Commission, compelled a tactical rebuff of his touted surrender offer.

The incident of Wednesday, September 18, 2024 regarding the orchestrated antics of the former governor to surrender himself to the EFCC, having denied being invited by the Commission and operating underground as a fugitive for several months, expectedly raised concerns and curiosity of many Nigerians who had been waiting frantically for his arrest and trial.

As a responsible anti-graft agency, the EFCC is sensitive to public opinions, especially if they are in tandem with its operational codes and Standard Operating Procedures.

However, no hysteria, blackmail, sentiment or coordinated attacks in some section of the media would make the Commission compromise its integrity.

Yahaya Bello’s matter cannot define the success or failure of the works of the EFCC, as the scorecard of the Commission is remarkable and undeniably impressive.

The EFCC is not unaware of the fact that corruption fights back. Bello must have his day in court, no matter the recourse to blackmail, appeal to emotive public sympathy or acts of brigandage.

Within the year, the Commission had arraigned three former ministers, two ex-governors, several top government officials, captains of industries, internet fraudsters and many more would be arraigned in due course.

Every former governor, minister, head of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs being investigated by the Commission would soon be charged to court. The EFCC is not running a circus show. Corruption issues should not be turned into a theatre of the absurd. Those who harbor a criminal suspect should know that the act is also a criminal offence which is also punishable in law.

While the EFCC is assuring the public of its unfaltering focus and commitment to continue to tackle every issue of economic and financial crime without fear or favour, there is need to remind Nigerians that corruption does fight back and caution and restraint should always be exercised in responding to the operational mechanics and dynamics of the Commission. The EFCC would continue with its no sacred cow policy, no matter whose ox is gored.