The alleged money laundering trial of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, was on Friday adjourned to May 6 and 7, 2026, by Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The adjournment will allow for the continuation of cross-examination of the 12th prosecution witness (PW12), Abdullahi Jamilu.
Witness Testimony and Cross-Examination
During proceedings, Jamilu confirmed that he made a statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on May 10, 2022, and that it was the only statement he provided regarding the case.
While being cross-examined by defence counsel Joseph Daudu, SAN, the witness acknowledged that certain entities—Wales Oil and Gas, Forza Oil and Gas, and Aleshua Services—were not included in Exhibit 46, his original statement.
He also admitted that the names listed in Exhibit 13 (pages 1 to 13) were not part of Exhibit 46 and confirmed that he was not the author of Exhibit 13.
Court Rulings on Evidence
Justice Nwite dismissed an objection raised by the defence against the EFCC’s attempt to re-present Exhibit 46, ruling that the objection was speculative and lacked merit.
The witness further recalled giving similar testimony in a related case before another Federal High Court judge, though he could not remember his exact witness number in that proceeding.
He confirmed that the defendants in that earlier case included Ali Bello, Abah Adaudu, Yakuba Siyaka Adabenege, and Iyadi Sadat.
Subsequently, additional documents tendered by the defence were admitted into evidence as Exhibit 47 without objection.
Details of Financial Transactions
Jamilu told the court that the transactions he discussed in the previous case were consistent with those in the current trial.
He explained that he relied on colleagues to process certain dollar transactions because his accounts were unable to handle them directly. According to him, when he lacked sufficient dollar inflows, he coordinated with associates and agreed on exchange rates to complete transactions.
The witness also testified that he gave a police officer, identified as Ali, some dollars on behalf of Abba Adaudu.
He stated that the companies mentioned in court—Aleshua Services, Wales Oil and Gas, and Forza Oil and Gas—belonged to his colleagues.
School Fee Transfers
Jamilu further disclosed that he processed payments to the American International School Abuja (AISA) based on instructions from Adaudu, who approached him with a friend whose name he could not recall.
He confirmed that all payments were successfully completed and that he forwarded the telex advice (transfer receipts) to Adaudu.
However, upon reviewing Exhibit 13, the witness noted discrepancies, stating that pages 13 and 14 were not part of the documents he originally tendered for the school fee payments.
Adjournment
Following the session, Justice Nwite adjourned the case to May 6 and 7, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination of the prosecution witness.
The trial remains one of the high-profile corruption cases being closely watched in Nigeria’s judicial and political landscape.
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