On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja was informed that Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, was not involved in all of the transactions that resulted in Shehu Bello’s purchase of N550 million worth of property in the Maitama neighborhood of Abuja.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Additionally, the court was told that Bello’s name was never mentioned in any of the transaction-related paperwork, including the title deed. Olusegun Joseph Adeleke, a witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), provided the testimony in support of the former governor’s money laundering allegations.
EFCC lead lawyer Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, led Adeleke, the general manager of EFAB Properties Limited, in testimony. He told Justice Emeka Nwite about how Fabian Nwora, the Chairman of EFAB Properties Limited, asked him to meet with Shehu Bello regarding the acquisition of the property at No. 1 Ikogosi Street in Maitama, Abuja.
He described what happened, saying that sometime in 2020, he was introduced to Shehu Bello, a young man, by his chairman, Chief Fabian Nwora, and they discussed the acquisition of the land. “We spoke about the purchase of the aforementioned property. Additionally, he informed me that the young man will return to pay the agreed-upon N550 million for the land.
He responded, “I saw him three times,” when asked if he has seen Shehu Bello since that day. He introduced himself the first time, made money the second time, and then produced a legal document for the EFAB property to be executed the third time. After mentioning another property on Gwarinpa’s Fifth Avenue, the EFCC lawyer instructed the witness to share his knowledge of it with the court.
In response, the witness stated that a bank transfer was used to pay N70 million for the property, which was bought by a man named Nuhu Mohammed. When asked if he could recall which bank the funds originated from, he replied that he couldn’t. According to the EFCC witness, Shehu Bello paid for the property after the transactions were completed, and he received the receipt and allocation letter.
But when he returned for his money back after learning that the house was being investigated by the EFCC, he claimed that the aforementioned Shehu Bello had altered the transactions. Yahaya Bello’s lead attorney, Joseph Bodunde Daudu, SAN, cross-examined the witness, who acknowledged three transactions with Shehu Bello. He claimed that he never saw Yahaya Bello throughout the transactions and that none of the associated paperwork, including the title deed, had his name.
In court, the witness said that he did not see Shehu Bello, the buyer of the property. asked if the witness’s actions were solely motivated by his chairman’s directives. “Yes,” he said. He also replied, “Yes,” when the defense attorney questioned whether it was accurate to state that he did not start any conversation with Shehu Bello on his own.
The defendant’s attorney asked the witness to attest that Shehu Bello signed his own portion of the transaction documents in front of him. He said, “He didn’t, my Lord.” “Did you keep an eye on the defendant during this transaction?” Daudu also inquired. The witness answered, “Not at any point during this transaction.”
He was also questioned about whether the defendant’s name was on any of the documents he claimed belonged to the EFCC. Once more, he replied, “No!” The prosecution then informed the court that they needed to subpoena another witness. The defendant’s attorney protested that they were caught off guard, but he clarified that he wasn’t trying to delay the trial.
Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer of United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), was the second witness’s name. The lawyer wanted to present the subpoena as proof, and she had it with her. It was labeled “Exhibit 1” and the defendant’s attorney raised no objections. The witness read out the documents requested by the subpoena, which included Kogi State Government House’s statement of accounts for the period of January 1, 2016, to January 31, 2024.
American International School’s account opening materials and its statement of accounts from September 1 to September 30, 2020, as well as Maselina Njoku’s statement of accounts from January 1 to December 31, 2022, were also accepted into evidence. In the meantime, the trial has been postponed to March 6 and 7.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
