By Mustapha Umar
The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on alleged money laundering charges amounting to N80.2 billion, to January 29, 30 and February 4 and 5, 2026, for continuation of proceedings.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Justice Emeka Nwite allowed the prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), to continue the examination of the seventh prosecution witness, Mr. Olomotame Egoro, a Compliance Officer with Access Bank.Bello, who is facing a 19-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was accused of laundering billions of naira allegedly diverted during his tenure as governor.
During the session, the prosecution sought to tender a set of documents marked as Exhibits 33 (1–11) and 34 while leading the witness in evidence. However, the defence counsel, Abdullahi Yahaya (SAN), objected, arguing that the documents presented were not the same as those earlier served on the defendant.
He pointed out that the certificate attached to the documents, dated 17th, bore the signature of one Faruk Idiaro rather than that of the witness in the box, adding that the defence received a different version of the proof of evidence.
Responding, Pinheiro maintained that although the certificate of identification differed, the documents attached were identical. He requested a brief stand-down to allow the defence to verify the materials.
The court subsequently stood down the matter, directing both parties to reconcile their positions before resumption.Upon continuation, the witness, Egoro, explained the structure of a statement of account belonging to the Kogi State Government House Administration, covering transactions between December 2018 and August 2021.
He identified several high-value cash withdrawals, including payments made on December 21, 2018, to one Aminu J.O, totaling N50 million in five tranches of N10 million each, and multiple withdrawals in favour of Abdulsalam Hudu on August 1, 2019.
Egoro also reviewed the account statement of Fazac Business Enterprise from January 2019 to December 2022, where he highlighted inflows from various Kogi local governments, including payments ranging from N4.49 million to N14.45 million on May 6, 2022, and two subsequent inflows of N7.12 million and N9.4 million on May 9, 2022.
The court adjourned further hearing to the new dates for continuation of the prosecution’s case.
