Bello is standing trial before Justice Emeka Nwite on a 19-count charge of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), involving a staggering sum of ₦80,246,470,088.88.
The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, over an alleged ₦80.2 billion fraud on Thursday witnessed dramatic revelations at the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
Meanwhile, a prosecution witness detailed how billions of naira belonging to Kogi State local government councils were allegedly funneled through corporate accounts and largely withdrawn in cash.
Bello is standing trial before Justice Emeka Nwite on a 19-count charge of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), involving a staggering sum of ₦80,246,470,088.88.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, January 29, 2026, Prosecution Witness Seven (PW7), Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank Plc, continued his testimony, laying bare intricate financial transactions involving the accounts of Fazab Business Enterprise and E-traders International Limited.
Led in evidence by the EFCC’s lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, Egoro gave a meticulous breakdown of inflows, cash withdrawals and transfers allegedly linked to funds from various local government councils in Kogi State.
After reminding the witness that he remained under oath, Pinheiro applied that Exhibit 33(8), the statement of account of Fazab Business Enterprise, be shown to the witness. He specifically drew Egoro’s attention to transactions recorded on May 6 and May 9, 2022.
Responding, Egoro told the court that on May 6, 2022 alone, there were 11 separate inflows into the Fazab Business Enterprise account.
According to him, the inflows originated from different Kogi State local government councils, including Yagba East, Yala, Ida and Okene.
On May 9, 2022, the witness said the account recorded three transactions, comprising two inflows. When asked by Pinheiro whether those inflows came from Ibaji and Dekina local government areas, Egoro replied, “Yes, my Lord, I can confirm it came from the two local governments.”
Summing up the figures, Egoro told the court that the total inflow on May 6, 2022 amounted to ₦103,375,059.73, while the two inflows on May 9, 2022 totalled ₦14,563,702.56. According to him, the cumulative inflow for the period stood at ₦117,938,762.29.
The witness further testified that almost immediately after the inflows, large cash withdrawals followed. When asked to identify the person who made a ₦10 million cash withdrawal from the account, Egoro said, “My Lord, it is Yakubu Siyaka A.”
He told the court that Yakubu Siyaka A. carried out repeated cash withdrawals on May 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24 and 26, 2022.
According to Egoro, the total cash withdrawn by Yakubu Siyaka A. between May 9 and May 26, 2022 amounted to ₦116,600,000.
When Pinheiro asked whether, based on his testimony, almost the entire sum of ₦117,938,762.29 received from the local governments in May 2022 was withdrawn in cash, the witness responded, “Yes, my Lord.”
Egoro further told the court that by May 31, 2022, only about ₦1,000,289.41 remained in the Fazab Business Enterprise account.
Turning to subsequent months, the Access Bank compliance officer testified that the pattern of inflows from Kogi State local governments continued in June and July 2022.
He said total inflows for June 2022 amounted to ₦108,793,086.69, while July 2022 recorded ₦141,718,056.30, bringing the combined total for the two months to ₦250,511,142.99.
During the same period, he said Yakubu Siyaka A. continued to make heavy cash withdrawals. According to Egoro, cash withdrawals in June and July 2022 totalled ₦198,900,000.
Asked to confirm whether nearly ₦200 million was withdrawn in cash from the inflows of those two months, the witness replied, “Yes, my Lord, that’s correct.”
Egoro told the court that the same pattern of inflows from local government councils and corresponding cash withdrawals persisted in August and September 2022.
He further confirmed that similar credit entries and withdrawal patterns were observed in October, November and December 2022.
Providing figures, the witness said that between August and December 2022, a total of ₦2,195,273,096.27 was credited into the Fazab Business Enterprise account.
When added to the inflows recorded in May, June and July 2022, Egoro stated that the total inflow between May and December 2022 amounted to ₦2,563,722,942.55.
“That is over ₦2.5 billion paid into the account of Fazab Business Enterprise from Kogi State local governments within eight months, from May to December 2022,” he said, adding, “Yes, my Lord.”
On the issue of withdrawals, Egoro told the court that from August to December 2022, cash withdrawals by Yakubu Siyaka A. amounted to ₦266,800,000. Combined with withdrawals of ₦116,600,000 in May and ₦198,900,000 in June and July, the witness said total cash withdrawals stood at ₦582,300,000.
Beyond cash withdrawals, Egoro testified that substantial transfers were also made from the Fazab account.
He said that in August 2022, two transfers totalling ₦94,364,450 were recorded, ₦40 million on August 9 and ₦54,364,450 on August 10.
According to him, the ₦40 million was transferred to Konforte Koncept Company, while the ₦54,364,450 went to Abba Adaudu.
In September 2022, Egoro told the court that two transfers were made to Yagba East Local Government on September 2, amounting to ₦9,100,359.80 and ₦11,582,274.83.
He also disclosed that ₦25 million was transferred to Shetland Logistics Services Limited on September 9, while ₦86.5 million was transferred to Ejadams Essence Limited on September 13.
The witness further testified that on October 11, 2022, ₦80 million was transferred to Hadassah Katriel Global Enterprise.
He added that between October and December 2022, the same company received seven transfers from the Fazab account, amounting to ₦430 million.
Turning to Exhibit 33(6), the statement of account of E-traders International Limited, Egoro told the court that the document formed part of the company’s account opening package and identified Abdullahi Jamilu as the first signatory.
He then gave a detailed chronological account of massive cash deposits into the E-traders account.
According to him, on July 26, 2021, seven cash deposits of ₦10 million each were made by Abba Adaudu. He said the same individual also made three cash deposits on July 22, 2021.
Egoro told the court that on August 2, 2021, three cash deposits totalling ₦30 million were made, while on August 19, four cash deposits were lodged by Abba Adaudu.
On August 25, 2021, he said ten cash deposits of ₦10 million each, totalling ₦100 million, were made, followed by six more deposits on August 30.
“All these deposits were made at the Lokoja Branch of Access Bank, the Kogi State capital,” the witness said.
He further testified that on August 31, 2021, five cash deposits totalling ₦50 million were made, while on September 2, 2021, six cash deposits of ₦10 million each were recorded at the same Lokoja branch.
According to Egoro, on October 8 and 11, 2021, ten cash deposits of ₦10 million each were made by Abba Adaudu, totalling ₦100 million. On November 4, 2021, he said 14 cash deposits amounting to ₦134 million were recorded.
The witness told the court that between November 8 and 10, 2021, there were 37 separate cash deposits by Abba Adaudu, each not exceeding ₦10 million. On November 12, 2021, he said five additional deposits of ₦10 million each were made.
Egoro further testified that on November 30, 2021, there were 20 cash deposits by Abba Adaudu, while on December 1, 2021, 23 cash deposits were recorded, none exceeding ₦10 million.
He added that on December 3 and 22, 2021, seven cash deposits were made by Yusuf Abba, while on December 29 and 30, 2021, 12 cash lodgments were made by Haruna Mohammed at the Lokoja branch.
Continuing, Egoro said that on January 18, 19 and 24, 2022, there were 13 cash deposits by Abba Adaudu. He told the court that on January 28 and 31, 2022, there were 31 cash deposits by Abba Adaudu and one by Haruna Mohammed.
He further testified that on February 1 and 8, 2022, there were 25 cash deposits by Abba Adaudu.
On February 22, March 2 and March 10, 2022, he said 12 cash deposits were recorded, while on March 11 and 21, as well as April 5, 2022, there were 13 cash deposits by Jamilu Abdullahi and Abba Adaudu.
According to the witness, on April 5 and 6, 2022 alone, there were 30 cash lodgments of ₦10 million each by Abba K.
In his final summation on the E-traders account, Egoro told the court that between July 26, 2021 and April 6, 2022, a period of about eight months, total cash deposits into the E-traders International Limited account amounted to ₦3,145,569,654.
When asked to confirm the calculation, the witness replied, “Yes, my Lord. These cash deposits were made between July 26, 2021 and April 6, 2022, within eight months.”
He further told the court that the cash deposits were made by Abba Adaudu, Abba A., Jamilu Abdullahi and Haruna Mohammed, all at the Lokoja Branch of Access Bank.
Egoro also disclosed that although the cash deposits were made in Lokoja, the E-traders International Limited account was opened at the Mararaba Branch of Access Bank in Nasarawa State. The address on the account statement, he said, was Plot P316, Abuja–Keffi Expressway, Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
At the close of proceedings, defence counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, informed the court of an application dated January 19, 2026, seeking an order to release Bello’s international passport to enable him travel for the lesser Hajj during the month of Ramadan.
He said the application was supported by a 24-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the defendant.
Responding, the prosecution said it was not opposed to the application but urged the court to ensure that the Federal Capital Territory High Court, where Bello is standing trial in another matter, is formally notified.
Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned the matter to Friday (today), January 30, 2026, for the continuation of testimony by PW7 and further hearing.