A compliance officer with Zenith Bank has revealed that over N1.09 billion was withdrawn in just four days from the Kogi State Government House administration account, sending shockwaves through the ongoing corruption trial of former governor Yahaya Bello.
Mashelia Bata, the fourth prosecution witness in the EFCC’s N80 billion money laundering case against Bello, gave this explosive testimony before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.
Led in evidence by Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), counsel for the EFCC, Bata told the court that between 30 January and 2 February 2018, multiple cash withdrawals totalling N1,096,830,000 were made from the state’s account.
He said this was just one of several suspicious transactions recorded between 2016 and 2023.
Bata, a senior compliance officer at Zenith Bank’s Maitama branch, confirmed that seven sets of bank statements were submitted by the bank in compliance with a subpoena. These included accounts held by the Kogi State Government House and entities like Whales Oil and Gas, Jimeda Properties Nigeria Ltd, and Alyeshua Solutions.
He explained that before the cashless policy kicked in, the Central Bank’s limit for cash withdrawals stood at N10 million for corporate bodies, which many of the flagged transactions appeared to comply with—at least on paper.
For example, one transaction dated 23 May 2016 showed N10 million withdrawn in cash by an individual, Abdulsalami Hudu, which Bata said adhered to the allowable cheque threshold at the time.
The court admitted the seven account statements as exhibits, while Bata added that nearly every credit into the government account was swiftly followed by cheque withdrawals—raising further red flags.
Meanwhile, in a separate twist, the trial judge Justice Emeka Nwite refused a request by the EFCC to cross-examine its own witness, Nicholas Ojehomon—an auditor at the American International School, Abuja (AISA).
Ojehomon had testified that the school never received wire transfers from the Kogi State Government or any of its local councils to pay the tuition fees of Yahaya Bello’s children—a central point in the prosecution’s allegations.
The EFCC sought to challenge his claims, but the court ruled it could not cross-examine its own witness unless declared hostile.
“The argument of the prosecution is misconceived,” the judge ruled. “This court is not barring re-examination but it must be limited to certain pages of Exhibit 19.”
Chronicle NG reports that the trial continues, with further revelations expected in the high-profile case that has gripped national attention.
