A key witness in the alleged money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has testified that the ex-governor’s name does not appear as a signatory on critical bank documents presented as evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Olomotane Egoro, the EFCC’s seventh prosecution witness and a compliant officer from Access Bank Plc, maintained this position under cross-examination on Thursday before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Egoro confirmed that former Governor Bello’s name is absent from Exhibit 33(8), a collection of bank records. He further stated that Bello was not a signatory to the Kogi Government House accounts detailed in Exhibits 34(1) and 34(2).
The testimony focused heavily on the nature of cash withdrawals and transfers from various accounts. The witness reiterated that withdrawals made between May and December 2022, previously discussed, were within the transaction limits set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Regarding allegations of suspicious transactions reported to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Egoro clarified that not all cash withdrawals by named individuals, such as Siyaka Yakubu, were inherently suspicious.
“My testimony is the pattern of withdrawals by the customer,” he explained. When asked by Bello’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, whether a specific N20 million transfer for educational supplies would qualify as a suspicious transaction, Egoro replied, “No my lord, it won’t.” He affirmed that not all cash withdrawals or transfers are illegal, stating, “It is not all cash withdrawals that are suspicious.”
Egoro admitted he was unfamiliar with the specific business relationships or purposes behind several transactions between companies in late 2022. He also confirmed that withdrawals from the Government House Administration Account (Exhibit 34(2)), made in N10 million tranches by signatories Aminu Jimoh Olanrewaju and Abdulsalam Hudu, did not breach CBN limits.
The witness also reviewed accounts for E-Traders International Limited, identifying the signatories and their stated business as “Sale of system and appliances.” He acknowledged that as signatories, those individuals had the right to conduct the transactions shown, and he did not know the specific purpose beyond what was recorded.
The proceeding then shifted to the eighth witness, Gabriel Ochoche of First City Monument Bank (FCMB). He confirmed bank statements covering accounts for Keyless Nature Limited and Kunfayakun Global Business Enterprise, detailing multiple transactions, including those with Eja Dams Essence Limited.
After the EFCC’s lead counsel, Kayode Enitan, SAN, concluded the evidence-in-chief for the second witness, Daudu requested time to review the proof of evidence before cross-examination. Objection was raised by another EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, who argued the documents had been provided to the defence over two years prior. Justice Nwite, noting the long day that began at 9 a.m., adjourned the matter until March 3 and March 9, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.
