A prosecution witness in the high-profile N110 billion fraud case against former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has testified that all financial transactions under review complied with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulations. The testimony was given by Olomotane Egoro, a Compliance Officer with Access Bank Plc, during proceedings before Justice Maryanne Anenih.
Bello, along with co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalam Hudu, faces charges of criminal breach of trust involving ₦110,446,470,089. All three pleaded not guilty. Egoro, who has worked at Access Bank since May 2023, identified Aminu Olanrewaju—stated earlier as a withdrawal signatory on the Kogi Government House Administration Account—as a civil servant and Director of Accounts in the Kogi State government.
Under cross-examination by Paul Daudu, SAN, Egoro confirmed that specific withdrawals from the account were documented for legitimate purposes. He verified payments for supplies ranging from reading materials to Okene Local Government (₦14,453,900.84), sporting equipment, agrochemicals, farm inputs, and medical consumables. For instance, he cited an ₦10.6 million lodgement from Ibaji local government for agrochemicals and ₦7.3 million from Mopa Muro for relief materials.
The witness emphasized that as a bank official, he was not privy to the state government’s internal operations and could only verify transaction details as recorded. He stated that Bello’s name did not appear in any transaction records and that he was not linked to any local government chairman roles during the period examined.
The court admitted key documents subpoenaed from Access Bank, including statements for the Kogi Government House Administration Account (January 2016–January 2024) and accounts for 11 companies, such as Fazab Business Enterprise. Defence counsel Z.E. Abbas objected to the documents’ admissibility over certificate-of-identification issues, a stance the prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, called a “fishing expedition.” Justice Anenih admitted the documents provisionally, leaving final admissibility to be determined later.
During evidence, Egoro confirmed cash withdrawals by Aminu Jimoh Olanrewaju and Abdulsalami Hudu, noting the bank filed Suspicious Transaction Reports with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for multiple ₦10 million withdrawals in January 2018 and other transactions, in line with standard practice.
The trial was adjourned until March 10, 2026, to continue the cross-examination. The proceedings continue to scrutinize the flow of funds between Kogi State local governments and various private entities amid one of Nigeria’s most significant public finance trials.
