In the ongoing money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, an EFCC witness testified that fund withdrawals by the Kogi government did not violate banking regulations.
Mshelia Arhyel Bata, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank and the fourth prosecution witness (PW-4), made this statement while being cross-examined by Bello’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja . Bata also confirmed that Bello’s name did not appear as a beneficiary in the presented account statements .
The prosecution has focused on withdrawals made by Abdulsalam Hudu, a cashier at the Kogi State Government House . Daudu drew attention to withdrawals by Umar Comfort Olufunke between December 2017 and April 2018, in multiples of N10 million, with beneficiaries being various hotels in Kogi . Bata confirmed withdrawals by Alhassan Omakoji between November 2021 and December 2022, which did not exceed N10 million per withdrawal and were within CBN limits .
Bata stated that she was unaware of any law regulating how the Kogi government spends its funds and that the N10 million withdrawal limit adhered to CBN guidelines . She also reiterated that Bello was not a signatory to or connected with the accounts presented as evidence .
Another EFCC witness, Jesutoni Akoni, a compliance officer with Ecobank, testified and confirmed cash deposits by Moses Ailetu’s companies, totaling N57 million. Akoni also confirmed that Yahaya Bello’s name was not associated with these deposits and that it was impossible to determine the source of the funds from the documents alone .
The EFCC also presented Mohammed Bello Hassan, a relationship officer with Keystone Bank, and Olomotame Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, as witnesses . The defense successfully moved to remove “extraneous documents” from exhibits tendered by Egoro .
Justice Nwite adjourned the trial to November 11, 2025, for continuation . Yahaya Bello is facing a 16-count charge of money laundering involving over ₦110 billion .
