A startling revelation emerged on Wednesday, October 8, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, as a compliance officer from United Bank for Africa (UBA), Abimbola Williams, testified that a staggering N640 million was withdrawn from the Kogi State Government account over just six days.
Williams, testifying as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing fraud trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, told the court that the withdrawals were carried out through 64 cheques of ₦10 million each.
The transactions, according to her, were made by the then Chief Accountant of the Kogi Government House, Abdulsalami Hudu, between July 31 and August 6, 2019.
Bello, Hudu, and Shaibu Oricha, the Director-General of the Kogi Government House Administration, are facing trial before Justice Maryanne Anenih for alleged ₦110.4 billion fraud filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Under questioning by EFCC counsel Pinheiro, Williams confirmed that there were “serial transactions involving Abdulsalami Hudu.”
When asked if the transactions were consistent, she replied, “Yes, my Lord.” She added that the total amount withdrawn during the six-day period was ₦640 million.
During cross-examination, Defence Counsel Joseph Daudu questioned her familiarity with the account and her previous testimonies.
Williams confirmed she had given similar evidence before the Federal High Court in a related case and clarified that while she was a compliance officer, she was not directly managing the account.
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She explained that customers could withdraw any amount as long as proper authorisation was provided, saying, “A banker is not an internal auditor of the customer.”
She also disclosed that her bank had not violated any regulations in allowing the withdrawals or transfers, noting that none exceeded ₦10 million per transaction.
When questioned about whether the withdrawn funds were used for security purposes, she said, “My Lord, I am not privy to the details of the transaction and cannot categorically answer that question.”
After her testimony, the EFCC presented another witness, Jesutoni Akoni, a compliance officer with Ecobank, who detailed several cash deposits totalling about ₦57 million.
However, defence counsel A.M. Aliyu objected to the admissibility of Akoni’s documents, citing procedural violations.
The court also heard from Polaris Bank’s compliance officer, Victoria Oluwafemi, as the EFCC continued presenting evidence.
Before the session ended, Daudu urged the court to first address a pending motion challenging its jurisdiction. Pinheiro disagreed, insisting the matter should wait until November 12.
Justice Anenih adjourned proceedings to October 9, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.