In continuation of the money laundering trial of a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, a Bureau de Change operator based in Abuja, Jamilu Abdullahi, has narrated how the former governor severally paid his children’s school fees in dollars.
Abdullahi, who is the third prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Bello, the current Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, and nephew of Yahaya Bello was testifying before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
His testimony was part of the financial transactions between him and the Kogi State government during Bello’s administration.
The witness narrated how the former governor paid the school fees of his three daughters in dollars through him and his companies many times.
Ali Bello is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 18 counts of money laundering and misappropriation to the tune of over N3 billion, alongside Abba Daudu, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat.
The witness, led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, disclosed that on one of the occasions, Daudu, the second defendant brought $300,000 in cash to him for Yahaya Bello’s daughters’ school fees.
He said, “Abba Daudu called me to say that they had a transaction. Though it was on the weekend, I drove down to the office and waited for them to come. Upon their arrival, three of them came, one stayed in the car with the driver, the other two walked to my office and a friend of Abba Daudu was holding a black leather bag containing the $300,000.
“Upon entering, Abba Daudu introduced him as his friend and business partner, saying he had a transaction. He dropped $300,000 in cash. I wanted to count the dollars before they left, but I could not, due to a power outage. I told him I could not count the money manually and needed to confirm that it was indeed $300,000, so I locked the dollars in my office safe and two of them left. Then, Abba Daudu’s friend said when I have confirmed the sum, details will be forwarded to me for payment.
However, the $300,000 attracted some service charges which he said I should calculate and let Abba Daudu know.
”After I completed the transfer, I forwarded four receipts indicating $75,000 four times to Abba Daudu, and he confirmed to me that the payment was confirmed successfully.”
When asked by the prosecution counsel if he knew anything regarding the transactions on Exhibit D, Pages 50, 52, and 53, he said, “Yes, I know the transactions of $75,000, paid to the school four times, totalling the sum of $300,000, as forwarded by Abba Daudu and the fees was paid for one of Yahaya Bello’s daughters, whose name is Naima Ohunene Bello.”
He recalled another school fee payment done by a company, Aleshua Solutions Services, which was $42,170 for Naima Ohunene Bello.
He said, “It was paid on behalf of the student Naima Ohunene Bello for school fees based on the instruction and as forwarded by Abba Daudu, and the date is 24 January, 2022.”
On Page One of Exhibit D, he identified a transaction of $44,675 also for Naima Bello.
He said, “I have seen it on the receipt of the payment. Forty-four thousand, seven hundred dollars, ($44,700) was paid to the school, but due to internal charges from the bank, $25 was deducted, making the total balance of $44,675.00.”
He told the court that the beneficiary school was American International School (AIS).
Regarding transactions from Daudu’s company, Keyless Nature Limited, to his own Kunfayakun company’s account on December 15 and 17, 2021, he said: “I received the sum of N100 million on the 15 December 2021 from Keyless Nature. On December 17, 2021, I received N400 million.
”Meanwhile on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd, December, 2021, I received N100 million. On the 22nd December 2021, I received the sum of N100 million only. On the 23rd December 2021, I received N35 million.
“I also received payment from Remita International in the sum of N40 million on 12th December 2021, and there was an entry of N33 million on the 17th of December, 2021. On the 7th February, 2022, I confirmed the receipt of N90 million from Keyless Nature.”
Counsel to Ali Bello, first defendant, A.M Aliyu, who clamoured to cross-examine the witness, asked for an adjournment to enable him study and have a full grasp of the facts and figures involved.
Nurain Jimoh, counsel for the second, third, and fourth defendants agreed with him, while the prosecution counsel objected to the adjournment on the account that the witness has been in the dock since 6 February, 2023.
“I believe the cross-examination of PW 3 should begin. If there are other grounds, however, the application can be sustained. If not, I urge your lordship to turn it down,” he said.
Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter till 25 October, 2024 and 5 and 6 November, 2024 for continuation of trial.
It could be recalled that while testifying on Tuesday, 24 September, 2024, the witness identified that Page 9 of Exhibit D, also contained $11,000 payment by Whales Oil and Gas to AIS, which was done based on Daudu’s directive, being the one who gave him the account details into which he made the payment.
He further explained on the same date that exhibits16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 were all payments to AIS. Exhibit 16, he said, captured payments of $7,653 to Bello Nana Fatima. The same he said applied to the payment of $19,296 on Page 17 and $7,725 on Page 18, while pages 19, 20 and 21 captured payments of $6,611.29, $21,470 and $21,492, respectively in favour of Zahra Bello.
He also narrated on 24 September, 2024 how cash lodgments running into millions of naira were made into his E-Traders International Limited and Kunfayakun companies’ accounts as well as to his personal account by Daudu.
According to him, on 27 July, 2021, he received N10 million and on 19 August, 2012, there was a cash deposit of N100 million in N10 million tranches and N100 million deposit on 25 August, 2021.
On 30 August 2021, he disclosed that there was N63 million deposit and an additional N50 million, a day later on 31 August, 2021 into his account.
The witness further disclosed that on 2 September, 2021, there were double lodgments of N30 million totaling N60 million.
He stated that the inflows into his accounts continued on 8 October, 2021, with a transfer of N60 million and a double inflow of N130 million and N139.5 million on 4 November, 2021.
On 10 November 2021, N25,134,000 flowed in; another N50 million, he said, flowed in on 12 November, 2021and N200 million on 30 November, 2021. The inflows, he said, continued on 1 December, 2012 with N220 million and N16,008,000 on 3 December, 2021. On 22 December, 2012, he said N40 million flowed in from the same source.
The witness, in the 24 September, 2024 testimony, also admitted that Keyless Nature Limited made a deposit of N100 million to him on 21 December 2021 with the authorisation of the second defendant.
On 22 December 2021, another N100 million, he said, flowed in from Kayless Nature Limited, and another N60 million from the company on 29 December, 2021.
The financial traffic continued in the new year. According to him, on 18 January 2022, N40 million flowed in and continued thereafter.
“On the 19 January, 2022, I received N50 million, while on 24 January, 2022, I received N30 million, and on the 28 of that same January 2022, I received N40 million cash in four tranches, and another N120 million. On 31 January, 2022, I received an inflow of N160 million, while on 1 February, 2022, I received N110 million, and N150 million on 8 February 2022,” he said.
He further disclosed that on 2 March, 2022, a total of N84 million was deposited in his account with another lodgment of N122, 980,000 on 10 March 2022 and N60 million on 21 March, 2022.
On 5 April, 2022, he said, N150 million flowed in and N140 million, a day after on 6 April, 2022.
