The Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted several documents, including the statement of account of the American International School, Abuja, in the ongoing N80.2 billion fraud trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello. The trial resumed on Monday with the prosecution calling two witnesses and tendering key financial documents linked to the case.
Among the exhibits admitted by the court were the account statements of the Kogi State Government House and the American International School, Abuja, where Bello’s children are students. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting the case, had previously alleged that Bello, shortly before the end of his tenure, paid $760,000 in advance school fees for his children at the institution. During its investigation, the anti-graft agency claimed that the school later refunded the sum to the commission. Reports indicate that the school had earlier requested the EFCC to provide “authentic banking details” for the refund.
During Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Kemi Pinheiro, presented the second prosecution witness, a compliance officer with United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Williams Abimbola. Appearing under subpoena, Abimbola submitted four sets of financial documents for admission into evidence. These included the account opening packages and account statements of the Kogi State Government House from January 1, 2016, to January 31, 2024, as well as the account details of the American International School from September 1, 2020, to September 31, 2020. The statement of account of one Macelina Njoku covering January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, was also tendered.
The defence team, led by J.B. Daudu, did not object to the admissibility of the documents, and the court marked them as exhibits. Meanwhile, the prosecution had earlier presented its first witness, Segun Adeleke, the General Manager of Efab Properties Limited. However, the defence objected to Adeleke’s testimony on the grounds that his witness statement was not included in the Proof of Evidence. The court, nevertheless, allowed him to testify.
Adeleke’s testimony focused on properties located at No. 1 Ikogosi Road, Maitama, and another in Gwarimpa, Abuja. He disclosed that while transactions took place involving these properties, Yahaya Bello’s name did not appear on any related documents. According to Adeleke, his chairman, Chief Fabian Nwora, introduced him in 2020 to a man identified as Shehu Bello, who later made payments for a Maitama property valued at N550 million. Adeleke recalled that Shehu Bello paid in U.S. dollars, after which the equivalent amount in naira was determined through a Bureau de Change. He further stated that he encountered Shehu Bello only three times—first during the introduction, then during the payment, and finally when legal documents were executed.
Regarding the Gwarimpa property, Adeleke stated that it was acquired by one Nuhu Mohammed for N70 million via a one-time bank transfer. He testified that his office issued a payment receipt and an allocation letter following the purchase. Under cross-examination, Adeleke confirmed that he had no direct dealings with Yahaya Bello, never met him during the transactions, and only acted on instructions from his chairman.
Following Monday’s proceedings, the court adjourned the trial to March 6 and 7, 2025, for continuation.
