No Power Of Attorney For Yahaya Bello’s Flagged Property – EFCC Witness

A prosecution witness with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that no Power of Attorney was presented on behalf of the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, or the second defendant, Shuaib Oricha, for a property under investigation.

The witness, James Igbakuleh, in the ongoing alleged money laundering trial of the former governor and two others, said he was also seeing the former governor for the fourth time.

“The first time was on Monday at the Federal High Court, then Tuesday, yesterday and today at the FCT High Court,” Igbakuleh, a legal practitioner, said.

He said, during cross-examination by the Defendants’ Counsel, Paul Daudu, SAN, that he never met the defendants throughout the transaction.

He told the court that Shehu Bello contacted him after his client, SFC Foods Limited, approached him to sell the property at Adetokunbo Ademola, in Wuse 2, sometime in 2021.

The witness said, during his examination-in-chief, that the payment for the said property was made into three designated accounts as instructed by his client.

He noted that, about 10 months after the conclusion of transactions, he was invited by one Mohammed at the EFCC, who said the agency was investigating a matter and that his name had featured prominently.

The legal practitioner was then shown a counteroffer, a deed of assignment, and a sales agreement, which he identified.

The counter offer and deed of assignment, addressed to Shehu Bello, were admitted in evidence and marked AV1 and AV2, respectively.

During cross-examination, the witness said he had practised law for 28 years.

He admitted that the person who contacted him, Shehu Bello, did not present any power of attorney on behalf of the 1st and 2nd defendants.

According to him, the deed of assignment was not also signed by all parties to the transaction.

“Confirm that AV2 (deed of assignment) was not signed by the purchaser,” Daudu SAN told the witness.

“It was not signed. I signed my portion and gave it to them,” he responded.

The witness also confirmed that he was not the one that prepared Exhibit AV2 and that he did not sign it in the presence of the purchaser.