The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied allegations that its investigators threatened defendants with an electric chair during a high-profile fraud investigation in Kogi State. The denial emerged during a trial-within-trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja, a proceeding to determine the admissibility of confessional statements.
The main trial involves Ali Bello, Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and nephew of former Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello, alongside co-defendant Dauda Sulaiman. They face a 16-count amended charge related to the alleged misappropriation and money laundering of approximately N10.27 billion.
The specific allegation of a threat involving an electric chair was raised by defense counsel during cross-examination of prosecution witnesses. In response, the second prosecution witness, EFCC investigator Yazid Bawa, directly refuted the claim. “No one. In fact, I have never seen one before,” Bawa stated, affirming that all defendants’ statements were given voluntarily without coercion.
The third witness, Adamu Usman Yusuf, who led the EFCC investigative team, also dismissed the allegation as “surprising.” He detailed the conditions of the statements, noting the consistent presence of defense counsel and that the defendants signed cautionary words. Yusuf explained that Sulaiman’s subsequent detention was due to his failure to produce a requisite surety, not as a punitive measure. Regarding the absence of audio-visual recording of the statements, Yusuf cited their confessional nature and the lack of any complaint from the defence lawyer present at the time.
During cross-examination, counsel for Ali Bello, A.M. Aliyu, SAN, alleged that EFCC officers told his client he would “rot in jail” unless he implicated former Governor Yahaya Bello in property ownership. The witness uniformly denied this. The defence’s challenge to the voluntariness of the statements prompted Justice James Omotosho to order the separate trial-within-trial.
Following the witnesses’ testimonies, defence lawyers requested an adjournment to present their case. Justice Omotosho have adjourned the matter until February 18, 2026, for the defence to open and close its case in the trial-within-trial.
The outcome of this preliminary proceeding is critical, as it will determine whether the extra-judicial statements can be admitted as evidence in the primary fraud trial. The case has drawn significant public attention due to the high-profile status of the accused and the substantial financial sums involved. The court’s ruling on the statements’ admissibility will shape the trajectory of the larger N10 billion fraud case.
