The Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed the fraud case involving former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to March 6 and 7, 2025. The case, which revolves around an alleged ₦80.2 billion money laundering scandal, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
During Monday’s hearing, two prosecution witnesses testified in court, providing details about financial transactions and property acquisitions linked to the case.
The first witness, Segun Adeleke, who serves as the General Manager of Efab Properties Limited, gave insight into two properties located in Maitama and Gwarinpa, Abuja. Adeleke noted that he never met Yahaya Bello personally and that the former governor’s name was absent from any related documents.
He told the court, “My Lord, in 2020, while I was in the office, my chairman sent for me. His name is Chief Dr Fabian Nwora. He introduced me to a young man named Shehu Bello. Apparently, they had discussed purchasing a property, and my chairman told me that Shehu wanted to make payment.”
Adeleke further stated that the property in Maitama was sold for ₦550 million, which was paid in U.S. dollars. However, he could not confirm the exact bank used for the transaction or the precise dollar equivalent. He also mentioned a second property in Gwarinpa, purchased by Nuhu Mohammed for ₦70 million via a single bank transfer.
When questioned by the defense counsel, Joseph Daudu, Adeleke admitted that he only interacted with Shehu Bello regarding the transaction. He confirmed that he never saw Yahaya Bello at any point during the process and that the former governor’s name did not appear in any official documents.
The second prosecution witness, Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer from United Bank for Africa (UBA), also testified under subpoena. He presented several financial records requested by the EFCC, including statements from the Kogi State Government House account spanning January 1, 2016, to January 31, 2024. Other records submitted included the financial statements of Macelina Njoku from January to December 2022 and those of the American International School, Abuja, for September 2020.
These documents were accepted as evidence without any objection from the defense team.
With these testimonies and documents submitted, the court set March 6 and 7, 2025, as the next dates for further hearings in the case.
