The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, continued on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presenting additional bank records as evidence.
This is contained in a statement shared on the anti-graft agency’s Facebook page on Thursday.
Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu before Justice Maryanne Anineh on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving an alleged ₦110.4 billion.
At the resumed hearing, the prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed the court that proceedings would continue with the cross-examination of Prosecution Witness Six (PW6), Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank.
During cross-examination, counsel to the first and second defendants, J.B. Daudu, SAN, questioned the witness on the structure and content of the bank statements earlier tendered. Bata explained several transaction entries, including cheque payments and transfers, but stated that he could not determine the purposes for which the funds were used based on the narrations in the statements.
Further questioning focused on inflows from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service and other transfers described as security funds and special votes, as well as subsequent withdrawals by account signatories.
The witness confirmed that the Government House account was operated by multiple authorised signatories and not solely by the defendants.
Counsel to the third defendant, Z.B. Abbas, also cross-examined the witness, who confirmed that all withdrawals were made by cheque and duly signed by authorised officials.
An attempt to suggest that the third defendant merely acted in his capacity as an accountant drew an objection from the prosecution, which was upheld by the court.
Following the conclusion of PW6’s testimony, the prosecution called Prosecution Witness Seven (PW7), Mohammed Bello Hassan, an executive trainee with Keystone Bank, who appeared pursuant to a subpoena.
He tendered bank statements relating to Dantata and Sawoe Construction for the period covering January to December 2021.
The witness identified multiple ₦10 million credit transactions and explained their sources during examination.
Under cross-examination, PW7 said he was not the account officer for the company and had no personal knowledge of the individuals involved in the transactions. He was subsequently discharged without re-examination.
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The EFCC also presented Prosecution Witness Eight (PW8), Gabriel Ocha, a compliance officer with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), who tendered documents relating to Kunfayakun Global Limited.
He testified on several high-value transactions, including payments to an international school and multiple transfers from different entities.
Prosecution Witness Nine (PW9), A.D. Ojoma, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank, later took the stand and identified substantial credit entries into the account of Bespoke Business Solutions Limited, including payments allegedly linked to the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service and other transactions running into hundreds of millions of naira.
Justice Anineh admitted the tendered documents in evidence despite objections from defence counsel, who reserved their reasons for later.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until Friday, January 16, 2026, for continuation of the trial.