The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has adjourned the ongoing ₦707 million money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to November 12, 2025, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its sixth witness.
At Thursday’s hearing, Justice Maryann Anenih presided as the prosecution first called Victoria Oluwafemi, a compliance officer with Polaris Bank, who testified that the account under investigation received multiple ₦10 million transfers, totalling ₦450 million in November 2021.
Under cross-examination, Bello’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, highlighted that Oluwafemi was not the account officer or relationship manager, and therefore lacked direct knowledge of the transactions.
The EFCC’s sixth witness, Mshelia Arhyel B., later tendered a 218-page statement of account belonging to Alusha Services, which the court admitted as Exhibit P1 despite objections from the defence citing non-compliance with Sections 83 and 84 of the Evidence Act.
Arhyel confirmed that between February 2016 and May 2022, the account recorded several ₦10 million transactions, totalling ₦707,267,000 as of January 2018. He also verified dollar transfers, including $2,500 from B.O. Rosemary Chukwuma and $5,000 transactions to an individual named Yau, as well as ₦202 million inflows from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service in December 2016.
After extensive cross-examination, Justice Anenih adjourned the matter to November 12 and 13, 2025, for continuation of the sixth witness’s testimony.
