EFCC WITNESS SAYS KOGI GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWALS DID NOT BREACH ANY LAW IN YAHAYA BELLO TRIAL
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A compliance officer on Friday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that withdrawals made from the Kogi State Government House account during the tenure of former Governor Yahaya Bello did not breach any banking regulations.
The witness, Mshelia Arhyel Bata, who testified as the fourth prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated this under cross-examination by Bello’s lead counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN).
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Bata explained that the transactions carried out from the account did not exceed the ₦10 million threshold permitted under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s cash-withdrawal policy. She added that she was unaware of any specific law governing how a state government chooses to spend its funds.
The witness also confirmed that Yahaya Bello’s name did not appear as a beneficiary in any of the account statements tendered before the court.
Another witness, Akoni, a compliance officer with Ecobank, gave similar evidence. He told the court that none of the deposits traced to certain company accounts linked to the case listed the former governor as a beneficiary.
The EFCC is prosecuting Bello alongside two former state officials, Abdulsalami Hudu and Umar Oricha, on a 16-count charge bordering on alleged diversion of ₦110 billion belonging to Kogi State.
Bello, who has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, remains on bail. The trial was adjourned to November 11, 2025, for continuation of proceedings.
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