A Prosecution Witness, PW, in the ongoing N80 billion trial of a former Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello has informed the federal high court sitting in Abuja, the nation’s capital that he has been subjected to intimidation by security of the former governor.
Former governor Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for alleged fraud.
During the resumed hearing of the trial on Thursday, Kemi Pinheiro, a senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN and Prosecution counsel to the EFCC told Justice Emeka Nwite that Mashelia Aryan Mashelia Dada, who is one of the prosecution witnesses in the case has been subjected to harassment by some aides of the former governor. The witness is a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc.
Pinheiro described the act as a “serious interference with the criminal justice process,” urging the judge to intervene.
Bello’s counsel, JB Daudu, a senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN promised to investigate the allegation.
“This is not the first witness to testify, and none have been harassed. However, I will look into it and get back to the court on the next adjourned date. I will also speak to the witness so he can identify who harassed him,” Daudu said.
Meanwhile, the witness gave a detailed account of massive cash withdrawals allegedly carried out between 2016 and 2023, while Bello was governor, through multiple bank instruments and channels.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Pinheiro, SAN, Dada said the records he presented were among seven sets of documents submitted in compliance with a subpoena addressed to the bank’s Managing Director. The subpoena was admitted as Exhibit 20, while related documents covering account holders and corporate entities were admitted as Exhibits 21 through 24C.
Among the accounts examined were those belonging to Adamu Jagafa Ishaya, Whales Oil and Gas, Jimeda Properties Nigeria Limited, Alyeshua Solutions, and notably, the Kogi State Government House’s Administration Account.
Focusing on the Kogi State Government House’s Administration Account, Pinheiro highlighted a pattern of cash withdrawals that blatantly violated the Central Bank of Nigeria’s, CBN, cashless policy. According to Dada, the CBN had placed cash withdrawal limits at ₦500,000 for individuals and ₦5,000,000 for corporate or government entities during the relevant period. Exceeding these limits attracted surcharges.
Dada testified that between January 30 and February 1, 2018, a total of ₦697,267,000 was withdrawn in ₦10 million tranches through cheques issued in the name of one Abdulsalami Hudu. Then, on February 2, 2018, an additional ₦99,573,000 was withdrawn in similar tranches and several other withdrawals totalling N1.09bn within three days
The prosecution also revealed that on February 1, 2018, a transfer of ₦3,325,000 was made from the same Kogi Government account to one Ali Bello.
Dada further disclosed that this pattern of suspicious transactions continued in subsequent years. On May 6, May 11, and May 19, 2022, the same account received ₦100 million on each date from the Kogi State Statutory Revenue Account. These inflows were immediately followed by multiple cash withdrawals in ₦10 million tranches, primarily by Abdulsalami Hudu and another named beneficiary, Alhassan Omakoji.
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