EFCC vs Yahaya Bello: Federal High Court to Rule on Admissibility of Property Documents in Alleged Money Laundering Trial
The Federal High Court of Nigeria has fixed March 10 for ruling on the admissibility of key property documents sought to be tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the ongoing money laundering trial of former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter after hearing arguments from both prosecution and defense counsel over whether the documents—said to include a Deed of Assignment and an Irrevocable Power of Attorney—should be admitted as evidence.
Counsel to Bello, Joseph Daudu, SAN, opposed the admissibility of the documents on the grounds that they were not presented during the examination in chief of the 10th prosecution witness (PW-10), Mahmoud Abdulazeez. He further argued that the documents, being registrable instruments relating to land title, had not been shown to be registered and were therefore inadmissible in both civil and criminal proceedings.
The prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, countered that the documents were intended to support oral testimony already given by the witness and not to establish land ownership. However, Daudu maintained that the documents lacked a consideration clause and were legally defective.
Earlier proceedings saw testimony from prosecution witnesses, including Gabriel Ochoche, a compliance officer with Wema Bank, who admitted under cross-examination that he could not link Bello’s name to any transactions in Exhibit 37, which detailed inflows and outflows on the account of Kumfayakum Global Limited.
Ochoche confirmed that a N100 million inflow from Keyless Nature Limited on December 15, 2021, could not be specifically attributed to any stated purpose based on the documents before the court. He also acknowledged that he had no direct relationship with the account holders and was not the account manager.
Similarly, Oluwafemi Victoria, a compliance officer with Polaris Bank, testified regarding financial transactions linked to accounts under investigation.
Under questioning, Ochoche stated clearly that Bello’s name did not appear in any of the transactions highlighted by the prosecution.
The 10th prosecution witness, Mahmoud Abdulazeez, chief accountant at Dantata & Sawoe Construction Company, testified about a property located at Plot 1160, Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarinpa II District, Abuja. He told the court that a deed of assignment was executed between Mubarak Dantata, representing Dantata & Sawoe, and Ali Bello on behalf of Azba Real Estate Limited.
The prosecution sought to link alleged payments made by Maigari Murtala to the property transaction. However, the defense objected, arguing that questions relating to the Deed of Assignment were improper since the document had not yet been formally admitted into evidence. Following extensive arguments, Justice Nwite adjourned proceedings to March 9 for a ruling on the admissibility of the contested documents and continuation of the trial.
The case remains one of the most closely watched anti-corruption prosecutions in Nigeria, with the outcome of the admissibility ruling expected to significantly shape the direction of the EFCC’s case against the former governor.
