The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has adjourned the trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and two others until January 2026 for continuation.
Justice Maryanne Anineh presided over the hearing on Thursday, which saw the defence counsel cross-examine the sixth prosecution witness, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering, allegedly totalling ₦110.4 billion.
READ ALSO: Alleged ₦80.2bn Fraud: Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial
During the resumed sitting, defence counsel Yahaya Abdullahi, and later J.B. Daudu, representing the first and second defendants, cross-examined the witness, Mashelia Bata.
Bata had previously testified about multiple and persistent cash withdrawals from the Kogi State Government accounts domiciled in Zenith Bank.
The cross-examination focused heavily on the bank’s operational procedures and the state government’s account statement (exhibit S1).
Key points raised included the confirmation by Bata that exhibit S2 contained the mandate for the account signatories.
He identified the original signatories when the account was opened around 2005 and noted the subsequent addition of new signatories, including Oricha Shuaibu in 2016.
The witness emphasised that anyone making withdrawals must be listed on the mandate to operate the account.
When questioned on withdrawal limits set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the time, Bata stated that corporate bodies were restricted to ₦10 million, while individuals could withdraw up to ₦500,000.
The defence also highlighted a specific entry on December 15, 2017, in exhibit S1.
Bata confirmed that Umar Olufunke made 19 withdrawals of ₦10 million each, totalling ₦119 million in a single day.
The defence sought clarification on minor variations in how the name was recorded across these 19 transactions.
An attempt by the defence counsel, J.B. Daudu, to ask the witness to explain the reason for the slight variations in the beneficiary’s name—whether they referred to the same person—was objected to by the prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro.
Pinheiro argued that the question was speculative and outside the scope of what the witness could confirm based solely on the document.
Justice Anineh upheld the objection, ruling that the question would lead to speculative testimony beyond the contents of the exhibited document.
READ ALSO: ₦640m withdrawn in six days from Kogi govt account – UBA official testifies in Yahaya Bello’s trial
The witness himself clarified that he could only testify to what was explicitly written on the bank documents.
Following the exchanges, Justice Anineh adjourned the matter.
The trial is scheduled to continue on January 15 and 16, 2026, as well as February 10, 11, and March 11 and 12, 2026.
