An Abuja-based Bureau de Change operator and third prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Bello, Jamilu Abdullahi, provided detailed testimony on Thursday, September 26, 2024, regarding financial transactions involving the Kogi State government under former Governor Yahaya Bello.
His testimony was before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
Abdullahi recounted how Yahaya Bello, through intermediaries, made repeated payments in U.S. dollars for his daughters’ school fees using Bureau de Change services.
He stated that Ali Bello, Yahaya Bello’s nephew and current Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo, facilitated many of these transactions.
Ali Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 18 counts of money laundering and misappropriation involving over N3 billion, along with co-defendants Abba Daudu, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Abdullahi described how Daudu, the second defendant, delivered $300,000 in cash for Yahaya Bello’s daughters’ school fees. He detailed the process, explaining how the funds were counted, transferred, and receipted.
Abdullahi further confirmed multiple payments for the school fees of Yahaya Bello’s daughters, Naima Ohunene Bello and Fatima Oziohu Bello, through his company, Aleshua Solutions Services. These payments totaled substantial amounts, with transactions identified in Exhibit D, including $42,170 and $78,160.
He also highlighted significant inflows into his accounts from companies linked to Daudu, such as Keyless Nature Limited, amounting to hundreds of millions of naira between December 2021 and March 2022. These funds were deposited into accounts held by Abdullahi’s companies, Kunfayakun and E-Traders International, and his personal account, often in large tranches.
Counsel for the first defendant, A.M. Aliyu, requested an adjournment to review the extensive facts presented in the case, while the prosecution objected, urging for the cross-examination to proceed. Justice Egwuatu adjourned the case to October 25, 2024, and set further trial dates for November 5 and 6, 2024.
Earlier, on September 24, 2024, Abdullahi had testified about additional payments made by Daudu and his associates for Yahaya Bello’s children, as well as large cash deposits into his accounts. These included transactions totalling hundreds of millions of naira made over several months.
The trial continues with further examination of the financial dealings involving the accused and their business associates.
