The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, resumed on Friday before Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, with fresh testimony detailing alleged suspicious financial transactions linked to the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service.
A prosecution witness told the court that more than ₦1.16 billion was paid as commission by the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service into a Sterling Bank account belonging to one Philip Kumar within eight months in 2019, followed by heavy and unusual cash withdrawals.
Prosecution Witness 9, David Ajoma, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank, said the payments were made between January and August 2019 and were largely withdrawn in cash shortly after each inflow. He described the pattern as inconsistent with normal banking behaviour.
Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16 count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving an alleged ₦110.4 billion.
Led in evidence by lead prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, Ajoma confirmed transactions contained in a statement of account already admitted as Exhibit AD1. He told the court that between March and August 2019, a total of ₦963.8 million was paid into the account from Kogi State Government related sources, while ₦835.9 million was withdrawn in cash within the same period.
Ajoma further identified earlier inflows of ₦99.5 million in January 2019 and ₦101.5 million in February 2019, both bearing narrations linked to the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service. In all, he said, ₦1.16 billion was paid as commission between January and August 2019, with total cash withdrawals amounting to ₦953.4 million.
According to the witness, the account balance as of December 31, 2018 stood at ₦212,264.29, with minimal withdrawals in the six months preceding the alleged commission payments. He noted that withdrawals before 2019 were mostly electronic transfers and far smaller in value.
Ajoma explained that, under banking regulations, transactions involving repeated large cash withdrawals may trigger a Suspicious Transaction Report if they are inconsistent with a customer’s profile. However, he said he did not have information on whether Sterling Bank filed such a report on the account.
During cross examination, counsel to Bello, J.B. Daudu SAN, challenged the witness on his inability to identify the account’s business nature or signatories, as he did not have access to the account opening documents. Ajoma admitted that his testimony was limited strictly to the bank statement before the court.
After further questioning by counsel to the third defendant, Justice Anineh discharged the witness and adjourned the trial to February 10 and 11, and March 11 and 12, 2026, for continuation of proceedings.
