Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the money laundering trial against former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to March 6 and 7, 2025, for further proceedings. The case, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), continued with testimony from two witnesses presented by the prosecution.
The court adjourned after the EFCC’s counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, called two witnesses, one of whom appeared on subpoena. The first witness, Segun Adelakun, who identified himself as the General Manager of EFAB Properties Limited, told the court that Bello’s name did not appear on the documents for two properties—one located at 1 Ikogosi Road, Maitama, and another in Gwarinpa.
Providing details of the transaction, Adelakun stated, “Sometime in 2020, my chairman, Chief Fabian Nwora, introduced me to a young man called Shehu Bello, and we had a discussion concerning the purchase of the property.” When asked if he had seen Shehu Bello after their initial meeting, he responded, “I have seen him three times. The first time was for introduction, the second time for payment, and the third time was when he brought a legal document for the execution of the EFAB property.”
The EFCC lawyer then questioned him about another property on 5th Avenue in Gwarinpa. Adelakun explained that it was purchased by an individual named Nuhu Mohammed for ₦70 million via a bank transfer. However, when asked if he recalled which bank the money came from, he said he did not.
During cross-examination, the defense counsel, Joseph Daudu, asked if Adelakun acted solely based on the instructions of his chairman, to which he replied, “Yes.” When asked whether he had personally initiated any discussions with Shehu Bello, he responded, “Yes.” The defense also inquired whether Adelakun had witnessed Shehu Bello signing any transaction documents, and he admitted, “I did not.”
Furthermore, when asked if he had ever seen the defendant, Yahaya Bello, during the transaction, Adelakun answered in the negative. Similarly, he confirmed that the former governor’s name did not appear on any of the documents in EFCC’s possession.
The prosecution then called a second witness on subpoena, prompting an objection from the defense, which argued that they were caught off guard. However, Daudu stated that he had no intention of stalling the trial.
The second witness, Williams Abimbola, identified herself as a compliance officer with the United Bank for Africa (UBA). She presented the subpoena, which the prosecution sought to admit as evidence. The defense did not object, and it was marked as “Exhibit 1.”
Abimbola proceeded to read the documents requested in the subpoena, which included the statement of account of Kogi State Government House from January 1, 2016, to January 31, 2024.
Also admitted were the statement of account for Maselina Njoku from January 1 to December 31, 2022, as well as the account opening documents and statements of account for the American International School, covering the period from September 1 to September 30, 2020.
Following the testimonies, Justice Nwite adjourned the trial to March 6 and 7, 2025.
