Jamilu Abdullahi, an Abuja-based Bureau de Change operator and third prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Bello, on Thursday, September 26, 2024, gave a narrative of the financial transactions between him and the Kogi State government under former governor, Yahaya Bello before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama Abuja.
The rundown includes how the former governor repeatedly paid the school fees of his three daughters in dollars through him and his companies.
Ali Bello, the current Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, is the nephew of Yahaya Bello. He is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on 18-count charges of money laundering and misappropriation to the tune of over N3 billion, alongside Abba Daudu, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness disclosed that on one of the occasions, Daudu, the second defendant brought $300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Dollars) in cash to him for the payment of Yahaya Bello’s daughters’ school fees. “Abba Daudu called me to say that they had a transaction though it was on the weekend, but I drove down to the office and waited for them to come. Upon their arrival, three of them came. One of them stayed in the car with the driver, two of them walked to my office and a friend of Abba Daudu was holding a black leather bag containing $300,000.
“Upon entering, he greeted and Abba Daudu introduced him as his friend and business partner saying he had a transaction. He dropped $300,000 in cash. I wanted to count the dollars before they left, but I could not due to the power outage. I told him I could not use my hands and needed to confirm that it was $300,000, so I locked the dollars in my office safe and two of them left. Then, Abba Daudu’s friend said when I confirmed the sum, details would be forwarded to me for payment. However, the sum of $300,000 attracts some service charges which he said I should calculate and let Abba Daudu know. After I completed the transfer, I forwarded four receipts indicating $75,000 four times to Abba Daudu, and he confirmed to me that the payment was confirmed successfully,” he said.
When asked by the prosecution counsel if he knew anything regarding the transactions on Exhibit D, Pages 50, 52 and 53, he said “Yes I know the transactions of $75,000, being paid to the school four times totalling, the sum of $300,000 as forwarded by Abba Daudu and further confirmed that the fees was paid for one of Yahaya Bello’s daughters. “And the name of the recipient is Naima Ohunene Bello,” he said.
Another payment of the fees, he recalled, was done by a company, Aleshua Solutions Services which, he said paid the sum of $42,170 for Naima Ohunene Bello.
“It was paid on behalf of the student Naima Ohunene Bello for school fees based on the instruction and as forwarded by Abba Daudu, and the date is 24th January, 2022.”
On Page 7 of the Exhibit D, was $78,160 he identified as payment for school fees
through Aleshua Solutions Services in respect of another Yahaya Bello’s daughter, Fatima Oziohu Bello.
“Based on the receipt before me, I am seeing acknowledgement of $78,135 being paid for Fatima Bello and on the Aleshua Solutions Services”, he said.
On Page One of Exhibit D, he identified a transaction of $44,675 also for Naima Bello. “I have seen it on the receipt of the payment. Forty-four thousand, seven hundred dollars, ($44,700) was paid to the school, but due to internal charges from the bank, 25 dollars was deducted, making the total balance of $44,675.00,” he said.
The beneficiary school, he told the court, was American International School (AIS).
Regarding transactions from Daudu’s company, Keyless Nature Limited to his own Kunfayakun company’s account on December 15 and 17, 2021, he said: “I received the sum of N100 million on the 15th December 2021 from Keyless Nature. On the 17th of December, 2021, I received N400 million. Meanwhile, on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd, of December 2021, I received N100 million. On the 22nd of December 2021, I received the sum of N100 million only. On the 23rd of December 2021, I received N35 million.
“I also received payment from Remita International in the sum of N40 million on 12th December 2021, and there was an entry of N33 million on the 17th of December 2021. On the 7th of February 2022, I confirmed the receipt of N90 million from Keyless Nature,” he said.
Counsel to Ali Bello, first defendant A.M Aliyu, SAN, who wished to cross-examine the witness, asked for an adjournment to enable him to study and have a full grasp of the massive facts and figures involved. Nurain Jimoh, SAN, counsel to the second, third and fourth defendant, agreed with him, while the prosecution counsel objected to the adjournment on the account that the witness has been in the dock since February 6, 2023. “I believe the cross-examination of PW 3 should begin. If there are other grounds, however, the application can be sustained. If not, I urge your lordship to turn it down.
Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter till October 25, 2024 and November 5 and 6, 2024 for continuation of trial.
It could be recalled that while testifying on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, the witness identified that Page 9 of Exhibit D, also contained $11,000 payment by Whales Oil and Gas to AIS, which was done based on Daudu’s directive being the one who gave him the account details into which he made the payment.
He further explained on the same date that exhibits16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 were all payments to AIS. Exhibit 16, he said, captured payments of $7,653 to Bello Nana Fatima. The same he said applied to the payment of $19,296 on Page 17 and $7,725 on Page 18, while pages 19, 20 and 21 captured payments of $6,611.29, $21,470 and $21,492 respectively in favour of Zahra Bello.
He also narrated on September 24, 2024 how cash lodgments running into millions of naira were made into his E-Traders International Limited and Kunfayakun companies’ accounts as well as to his personal account by Daudu.
According to him, on July 27, 2021 he received N10 million and on August 19,2012, there was a cash deposit of N100 million in N10 million tranches and N100 million deposit on August 25, 2021.
On August 30, 2021, he disclosed that there was N63 million deposit and an additional N50 million, a day later on August 31, 2021 into his account. He further disclosed that on September 2, 2021, there was a double N30 million lodgment totaling N60 million.
He stated that the inflows into his accounts continued on October 8, 2021, with a transfer of N60 million and a double inflow of N130 million and N139.5 million on November 4, 2021.
On November 10, 2021, N25,134,000, flowed in; another N50 million, he said, flowed in on November 12, 2021and N200 million on November 30, 2021. The inflows, he said, continued on December 1, 2012 with N220 million and N16,008,000 on December 3, 2021. On December 22, 2012, he said N40 million flowed in from the same source.
The witness in his September 24, 2024 testimony also admitted that Kayless Nature Limited made a deposit of N100 million to him on December 21, 2021 with the authorization of the second defendant.
On December 22, 2021, another N100 million, he said, flowed in from Kayless Nature Limited, and another N60 million from the company on December 29, 2021.
The financial traffic continued on the New Year. According to him, on January 18, 2022, N40 million flowed in and continued thereafter. “On the 19th of January, 2022, I received N50 million, while on the 24th, 2022, I received N30 million, and on the 28 of that same January, 2022, I received N40 million cash in four tranches, and another N120 million. On January 31, 2022, I received an inflow of N160 million, while on February 1,2022, I received N110 million, and N150 million on February 8, 2022,” he said.
He further disclosed that on March 2, 2022, a total of N84 million was deposited in his account with another lodgment of N122, 980,000 on March 10, 2022 and N60 million on March 21, 2022. On April 5, 2022, he stated that N150 million flowed in and N140 million, a day after on April 6, 2022.
