Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial until May 6

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Yahaya Bello

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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday adjourned the alleged money laundering case filed against former Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi until May 6 for continuation of trial.

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Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the hearing to allow the former governor’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu, SAN, to continue with the cross-examination of EFCC’s 12th prosecution witness (PW-12), Abdullahi Jamilu.

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Jamilu, who was giving his initial statement to the anti-graft agency to “refresh his memory,” said he made the statement to the EFCC on May 10, 2022.

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The witness, while being cross-examined by Daudu, told the court that it was the only statement he made to the commission on the matter.

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Jemilu, however, admitted that the issues relating to Wales Oil and Gas, Forza and Aleshua were not in Exhibit 46.

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He added that the names he read out in Exhibit 13, Pages 1 to 13, were not also contained in Exhibit 46.

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He also confirmed, under cross-examination, that he was not the maker of Exhibit 13.

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Justice Nwite had earlier dismissed the objection of the defence counsel to the EFCC lawyer’s bid to re-present Exhibit 46, which is the initial statement of the witness.

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The judge, in the ruling, held that the objection was speculative and misconstrued.

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The witness, however, recalled that he had given similar evidence before Justice Obiora Egwuatu, a brother judge at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

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When the defendant’s counsel reminded him that he was the 3rd prosecution witness (PW-3) in the other case, he said he could not remember the exact witness number.

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He, however, confirmed that the defendants in that case were Ali Bello, Abah Adaudu, Yakuba Siyaka Adabenege and Iyadi Sadat.

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The lawyer then moved to tender documents and they were admitted as Exhibit 47 without objection.

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Looking at the exhibit, the witness admitted that the transactions he talked about in Justice Egwuatu’s court were about the same as the ones he talked about in this case.

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He explained that he approached his colleagues to help him effect the dollar transfer payments because his own accounts could not directly handle such.

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The witness, a BDC operator, also said the names of the companies – Wales Oil and Gas, Forza Oil and Gas and Aleshua Services – were not contained in Exhibit 46 because he was not asked regarding that and did not remember.

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During his examination-in-chief by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, the lawyer who appeared for EFCC, Jamilu said he remembered giving one Ali, a police officer, some dollars on behalf of Abba Adaudu.

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He also noted that the companies mentioned earlier before the court – Aleshua Services, Wales Oil and Gas and Forza Oil and Gas – were companies owned by his colleagues at the market.

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The witness added that whenever he did not have enough inflow of dollars to effect dollar transfers, he usually contacted his colleagues and agreed on a rate.

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According to him, the instruction to pay American International School Abuja (AISA) was given by Adaudu, who he said came to him with one of his friends for the transaction.

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He, however, said that he could not remember the name of the said friend.

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The PW-12 told the court that all the transfers were successfully effected to AISA, after which he forwarded the telex advice (transfer receipts) to Adaudu.

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The witness was again told to confirm that the documents in Exhibit 13 (P1 to P14) were the telex advice and receipt of the school payment.

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“Yes, but I just noticed that P13 and P14 are not part of the documents I tendered as part of the payment I made for the school fees,” he responded.

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He mentioned the names of the students on behalf of whom the payments were made.

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Justice Nwite, thereafter, adjourned the matter until May 6 and May 7 for continuation of the cross-examination of PW-12.

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(NAN)

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