Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the trial of Ali Bello, the Chief of Staff to the Kogi State Governor, and his co-defendant, Dauda Sulaiman, to July 15. The pair face amended money laundering charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ali Bello, a nephew of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, is accused of diverting over N10bn from the state’s treasury. Sulaiman stands trial alongside him, while others allegedly involved in the fraud, including Abdulsalami Hudu, a cashier of the Kogi State House Administration, remain at large. Ex-Governor Bello, also implicated in the case, has been declared wanted by the EFCC.
During Thursday’s court session, an EFCC witness, Olom Egoro, a staff member of Access Bank, was cross-examined by Bello’s counsel, Abubakar Aliyu (SAN). Egoro admitted that no deposits or withdrawals linked to Bello were evident in the presented exhibits. He clarified that the compliance unit of the bank does not maintain the servers where transaction information is stored; this is managed by the bank’s ICT department.
Olusegun Jolaawo (SAN), representing the second defendant, also cross-examined Egoro. Following the cross-examinations, Justice Omotosho released Egoro from the witness stand and adjourned the trial until July 15 and 16.
At a previous hearing on May 6, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) presented Egoro as the sixth prosecution witness. Egoro, from Access Bank’s Compliance Unit, testified that the EFCC had requested the bank statements of the Kogi State Government House for 2018 to 2021. The request included account opening documents, mandates, and a certificate of compliance for the printouts.
Egoro reviewed the statement of account, detailing various deposits and withdrawals made via transfers and cash, noting withdrawals of N10m each in different tranches. However, he did not specify who made the deposits, the purpose of the deposits, or who withdrew the funds and for what purpose before concluding his testimony.
