Court hears how over ₦1bn was withdrawn in days from Kogi government accounts under Yahaya Bello. Zenith Bank official reveals suspicious transactions

[dropcap]K[/dropcap]ogi cash withdrawal pattern during the tenure of former Governor Yahaya Bello was laid bare in court on Thursday as a bank official revealed a series of suspicious transactions totalling over ₦1 billion in just days.

Also read: Yahaya Bello: EFCC accuses colleagues, others of shielding

The fourth prosecution witness, Mshelia Arhyel, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank in Abuja, testified before the Federal High Court in Abuja that massive cash movements occurred through the Kogi State Government’s account under Mr Bello’s administration.

The transactions are central to a 19-count money laundering charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the former governor, who held office from January 2016 to January 2024.

Led in evidence by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kemi Pinheiro, the witness highlighted entries from Exhibit 22A, a bank statement admitted by trial judge Emeka Nwite.

The documents cover hundreds of pages and show a sustained pattern of withdrawals just under the maximum legal cash limits.

One name repeatedly emerged in the transactions: Abdulsalami Hudu, co-defendant in a separate ₦110 billion corruption case.

Arhyel testified that on 30 and 31 January 2018 alone, Hudu withdrew over ₦697 million from the Kogi State account through 71 cheques, each around ₦10 million.

The following days—1 and 2 February—saw additional withdrawals amounting to ₦399 million. In total, ₦1.09 billion was pulled out in four days.

Similar patterns were observed across other years. On 2 May 2018, 41 cheques of ₦10 million each were cashed, along with two others for over ₦14 million. In May 2022, the trend continued.

Arhyel noted that the same-day inflow and withdrawal of ₦100 million occurred on both 6 and 11 May. Beneficiaries included Hudu and another man, Mr Koji.

Further transactions showed that even surcharges imposed by the Central Bank for excess withdrawals were borne by the Kogi State Government. On 7 and 11 September 2023, withdrawals attracted a 5 per cent surcharge totalling ₦4.75 million.

One transfer on 1 February 2018 linked directly to the former governor’s nephew, Ali Bello, now facing corruption charges in two other courts.

He received over ₦3 million from the Government House account on the same day the other withdrawals occurred.

In a related development, the prosecution was allowed to re-examine its third witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja.

His earlier testimony included confirmation of over \$800,000 in school fees paid for Bello’s children. The court, however, limited the scope of his re-examination to previously discussed pages of the document already in evidence.

The unfolding details continue to fuel scrutiny over Bello’s financial legacy. He is not only on trial for laundering ₦80.2 billion but also implicated in another ₦110 billion fraud case before the FCT High Court.

His nephew, Ali Bello, serves as Chief of Staff to current Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo and remains a prominent figure in the financial networks under examination.

The defence team has requested more time to study the damning document, Exhibit 22A. Cross-examination of the fourth witness is scheduled to resume on Friday.

Also read: EFCC files fresh N110bn fraud charges against Yahaya Bello

As the court digs deeper, the prosecution appears set to unveil more of what it alleges to be a deliberate and sustained drain of public resources during Bello’s eight-year tenure.