A compliance officer with Access Bank, Olomotane Egoro, on Thursday continued his testimony at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello over the alleged diversion of funds belonging to Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the State.
Bello is standing trial on 19-count charges bordering on alleged money laundering involving N80.2 billion.
Egoro appeared before the court to explain how funds said to belong to Kogi LGAs were traced to accounts operated by Fazab Business Enterprise and E-traders International Limited.
Alleged Payments to Fazab Business Enterprise
Led in evidence by Kemi Pinheiro, counsel to the prosecution, Egoro told the court that on May 6, 2022, there were 11 inflows into the account of Fazab Business Enterprise from various Kogi LGAs, including Yagba East, Yala, Ida and Okene.
The prosecution tendered the company’s statement of account, which the witness examined in court.
Egoro said that on May 9, 2022, there were two additional inflows into the account from Ibaji and Dekina LGAs.
According to him, the inflows of May 6 amounted to N103,375,059.73, while the two inflows recorded on May 9 totalled N14,563,702.56, bringing the cumulative sum to N117,938,762.29.
Asked to identify who made withdrawals from the account, the witness named Yakubu Siyaka A., whom he said carried out cash withdrawals on several dates between May 9 and May 26, 2022.
Egoro told the court that the withdrawals within that period amounted to N116.6 million and confirmed that virtually all the inflows were withdrawn in cash. He added that by May 31, 2022, only about N1.08 million remained in the account.
The witness further testified that between June and July 2022, there were consistent inflows from various Kogi LGAs into the Fazab account.
He said the total inflow for June 2022 stood at N108,793,086.69, while July recorded N141,718,056.30, bringing the combined total to N250,511,142.99.
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Egoro said Siyaka also made substantial cash withdrawals during the same period, amounting to N198.9 million.
He added that similar patterns of credits and cash withdrawals were recorded between August and December 2022.
“That is over N2.5 billion paid into the account of Fazab Business Enterprise from Kogi State local governments within eight months, from May to December 2022,” Egoro said, as quoted in a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He also told the court that transfers were made from the Fazab account to companies and individuals. According to him, in August 2022, two transfers totalling N94,364,450 were executed, N40 million to Konforte Koncept Company and N54,364,450 to Abba Adaudu.
Alleged Deposits Into E-traders International Account
Testifying on the account of E-traders International Limited, Egoro said the account opening documents listed Abdullahi Jamilu as the first signatory.
He narrated a series of cash deposits made into the account, stating that on July 26, 2021, seven cash deposits of N10 million each were made by Abba Adaudu.
According to the witness, three cash deposits totalling N30 million were made on August 2, 2021, while four cash deposits were recorded on August 19, 2021. He added that on August 25, 2021, Adaudu made 10 cash deposits of N10 million each, followed by six deposits on August 30, 2021.
“All these deposits were made at the Lokoja branch of Access Bank,” Egoro told the court.
He said further cash deposits continued on August 31 and September 2, 2021, while 10 deposits of N10 million each were made on October 8 and 11, 2021.
Egoro testified that between November 8 and 10, 2021, Adaudu made 37 cash deposits, each not exceeding N10 million. He said additional deposits were made on November 12, November 30 and December 1, 2021.
He added that Yusuf Abba made seven cash deposits on December 3 and 22, 2021, while Haruna Mohammed made 12 deposits on December 29 and 30, 2021, all at the Lokoja branch.
According to the witness, three individuals made cash deposits into the account and, between July 26, 2021, and April 6, 2022, total cash deposits amounted to N3,145,569,654.
At the close of the day’s proceedings, Bello’s counsel, J.B. Daudu, informed the court of an application seeking the release of the former governor’s passport to enable him to travel for the lesser Hajj during Ramadan.
The trial judge, Emeka Nwite, granted the application.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
