Yahaya Bello Case: Witness Details N46.5m School Fee Transfers

​The high-profile money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, reached a critical juncture on Thursday as testimony shifted toward the specifics of how multi-million naira sums were allegedly diverted to private educational institutions.

​Appearing before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the eighth prosecution witness (PW8), Gabriel Ochoche, provided a breakdown of transactions linked to the American International School. Ochoche, a compliance officer with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), testified that the bank’s records showed a ₦30 million transfer on November 1, 2021, and a subsequent ₦16.5 million payment to the school.

​Complex Web of Inflows

​The prosecution, led by Olukayode Enitan, SAN, introduced a mountain of financial data through Exhibit 37, which detailed the activities of an entity known as Kunfayakun Global Limited. According to the witness, this account served as a hub for massive inflows from various sources, including:

• ​Keyless Nature Limited: A ₦700 million transfer in December 2021.
• ​Ejadams Essence Limited: Six separate transfers of ₦100 million each, totaling ₦600 million in a single day in February 2022.
• ​Gadonkaya Global Concept: Multiple smaller, yet significant, inflows totaling nearly ₦30 million.

​Ochoche’s testimony suggests a pattern where large corporate inflows were almost immediately followed by outflows to educational services and third-party payment platforms.

​The “Suspicious Transaction” Debate

​Earlier in the day, the seventh witness, Olomotane Egoro of Access Bank, faced intense cross-examination regarding cash withdrawals. Egoro confirmed that one individual, Yakubu Siyaka, withdrew over ₦552 million in cash between 2019 and 2022.

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​While the defense argued that customers have the right to use their funds as they please, Egoro noted that banks are legally bound to report “typologies” that suggest money laundering. He confirmed that Access Bank had filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), though the specific contents of that report remain shielded from the court under current confidentiality laws.

​Justice Nwite sustained an objection from the EFCC’s legal team, preventing the defense from probing the details of the STR since the document had not been formally admitted as evidence.

​What Lies Ahead

​The EFCC is currently prosecuting Bello on a 19-count charge involving the alleged laundering of ₦80.2 billion. As the court admitted several more exhibits—including account opening packages for the Kogi State Government House—the prosecution appears to be meticulously connecting the dots between state resources and private expenditures.

​The trial has been adjourned to March 3 and March 9, 2026, for further testimony.