A prosecution witness presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has informed the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Abuja that the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue paid a tax consultant over N1.16 billion as commission within an eight-month period.
The witness, Mr. David Ajoda, disclosed that the total sum of N1,164,929,569 was disbursed to the consultant between January and August 2019, shortly after the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) entered into a consultancy arrangement.
Ajoda made this revelation on Friday, the 16th of January, 2026, while giving evidence in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, alongside two others, over allegations bordering on corruption.
According to his testimony, the tax consultant subsequently withdrew N952.4 million from the same account held with Sterling Bank within the same eight-month window, leaving a balance of N212,525,569. He added that the withdrawals were carried out in several tranches and were reportedly executed by one Phillip Unar.
Ajoda, who serves as a Compliance Officer at Sterling Bank, appeared as a witness for the EFCC in the prosecution of Yahaya Bello, Umar Shuaib Oricha, and Abdulsalami Hudu. While being led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Professor Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, the witness stated that he had no direct knowledge of the contractual details governing the tax consultancy arrangement between KSIRS and the consultant.
During proceedings, Ajoda tendered the tax consultant’s account statements, which were admitted as evidence by the court. He noted that the withdrawals from the account followed a consistent pattern. He further told the presiding judge, Maryann Anenih, that before the consultancy engagement began, the account balance stood at just over N2 million, but experienced a sharp rise in inflows once the consultancy arrangement commenced.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, representing Yahaya Bello and Umar Shuaib Oricha, the witness acknowledged that the name “Kogi State Government” did not appear anywhere in the bank transactions linked to the account.
He also affirmed that bank accounts belong to individual customers, who are free to make withdrawals provided they comply with existing laws.
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Ajoda explained that regulations issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria allow a maximum cash withdrawal of N5 million for individuals and N10 million for corporate entities per transaction.
According to him, the tax consultant’s withdrawals did not violate CBN regulations, and as such, no suspicious transaction report was filed against the account holder. He further confirmed that neither Yahaya Bello nor any of his co-defendants appeared as beneficiaries in the bank statements related to the withdrawals.
The witness also clarified that there is a distinction between the Kogi State Government and the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, stressing that both are separate entities.
At the close of proceedings, Justice Maryann Anenih adjourned the matter to the 10th of February, 2026, for continuation of hearing.