Court Adjourns Yahaya Bello’s Trial Until May 6

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday adjourned the alleged money laundering case filed against former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, until May 6 for continuation of trial.

Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the hearing to allow the former governor’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, to continue the cross-examination of the EFCC’s 12th prosecution witness (PW-12), Abdullahi Jamilu, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Jamilu, who referred to his initial statement to the anti-graft agency to refresh his memory, said he made the statement to the EFCC on May 10, 2022.

While being cross-examined by Daudu, the witness told the court that it was the only statement he made to the commission on the matter.

Jamilu, however, admitted that issues relating to Wales Oil and Gas, Forza Oil and Gas, and Aleshua Services were not contained in Exhibit 46.

He added that the names he read out in Exhibit 13, pages 1 to 13, were also not contained in Exhibit 46. He further confirmed under cross-examination that he was not the maker of Exhibit 13.

Justice Nwite had earlier dismissed the objection by defence counsel to the EFCC lawyer’s attempt to re-present Exhibit 46, which is the witness’s initial statement.
In his ruling, the judge held that the objection was speculative and misconstrued.

The witness also recalled giving similar evidence before Justice Obiora Egwuatu, a brother judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

When reminded by defence counsel that he was the third prosecution witness (PW-3) in the related case, Jamilu said he could not recall the exact witness number.

He, however, confirmed that the defendants in that case were Ali Bello, Abah Adaudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, and Iyadi Sadat.

The defence counsel subsequently tendered documents, which were admitted as Exhibit 47 without objection.

Upon reviewing the exhibit, the witness admitted that the transactions he testified about before Justice Egwuatu were the same as those in the present case.

He explained that he approached colleagues to help facilitate dollar transfers because his accounts could not directly handle such transactions.

The witness, a Bureau De Change (BDC) operator, also stated that the names of the companies,Wales Oil and Gas, Forza Oil and Gas, and Aleshua Services,were not included in Exhibit 46 because he was neither asked about them nor could he recall them at the time.

During his examination-in-chief by EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, Jamilu said he remembered giving one Ali, a police officer, some dollars on behalf of Abba Adaudu.

He also noted that the companies mentioned earlier,Aleshua Services, Wales Oil and Gas, and Forza Oil and Gas, were owned by his colleagues in the market.

The witness added that whenever he lacked sufficient dollar inflow to carry out transfers, he contacted colleagues and agreed on exchange rates.

According to him, the instruction to pay the American International School Abuja (AISA) was given by Adaudu, who came to him with a friend for the transaction.
He, however, said he could not recall the name of the said friend.

The PW-12 told the court that all the transfers were successfully made to AISA, after which he forwarded the telex advice (transfer receipts) to Adaudu.

The witness was then asked to confirm that the documents in Exhibit 13 (pages 1 to 14) were the telex advice and receipts for the school payments.

“Yes, but I just noticed that pages 13 and 14 are not part of the documents I tendered as part of the payment I made for the school fees,” he said.

He also mentioned the names of the students on whose behalf the payments were made.

Justice Nwite thereafter adjourned the matter until May 6 and May 7 for continuation of the cross-examination of PW-12.