Fresh revelations have emerged in the ongoing corruption trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, as a prosecution witness disclosed how over ₦1.09 billion mysteriously vanished from the Kogi State Government House Administration Account within just three days.
Testifying before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, the witness, Mashelia Arhyel Dada, a compliance officer from Zenith Bank’s Maitama branch, detailed a series of suspicious transactions allegedly executed during Bello’s tenure. He appeared in court as Prosecution Witness Four (PW4) under a subpoena and was led in evidence by senior advocate and prosecuting counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN.
Dada stated that the information he presented was based on documents submitted by the bank in response to a subpoena addressed to its Managing Director. The subpoena and related account records were admitted into evidence as Exhibits 20 through 24C.
The court heard how multiple bank accounts were linked to the alleged fraudulent activities, including those belonging to individuals and corporate entities such as Adamu Jagafa Ishaya, Whales Oil and Gas, Jimeda Properties Nigeria Ltd., Alyeshua Solutions, and notably, the Kogi State Government House Administration Account.
Focusing on the government account, Pinheiro highlighted a disturbing pattern of large cash withdrawals in clear violation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) cashless policy, which, during the period under review, capped cash withdrawals at ₦500,000 for individuals and ₦5 million for corporate entities. Transactions exceeding these limits attracted surcharges.
Dada revealed that from January 30 to February 1, 2018, a staggering ₦697,267,000 was withdrawn through multiple ₦10 million cheques issued in the name of one Abdulsalami Hudu. On February 2, 2018, an additional ₦99,573,000 was withdrawn in similar fashion, bringing the total to over ₦1.09 billion within 72 hours. Furthermore, on February 1, 2018, ₦3.3 million was transferred from the same account to one Ali Bello.
The witness also disclosed that the trend of suspicious withdrawals persisted in later years. On May 6, 11, and 19, 2022, the account received ₦100 million on each of the three dates from the Kogi State Statutory Revenue Account. Each credit was quickly followed by cash withdrawals, again in ₦10 million tranches, primarily collected by Hudu and another individual, Alhassan Omakoji.
Referencing pages 395 to 401 of the account statement, Dada confirmed a consistent pattern: each major credit entry was quickly followed by cheque withdrawals, often on the same day and typically issued to the same individuals.
One particularly striking incident cited in court occurred on September 7, 2023, when 11 cash withdrawals of ₦10 million each were recorded — far exceeding the regulatory limit. Each withdrawal attracted a surcharge of ₦500,000, amounting to a total of ₦4.75 million in penalties in one day.
Another major transaction flagged by the prosecution occurred on January 20, 2018, when 10 separate credits totaling ₦697 million were posted from the Kogi State Statutory Account. These were again followed by multiple ₦10 million withdrawals linked to Hudu and his associates. On January 31 alone, Hudu reportedly withdrew ₦347,267,000 through 36 separate transactions.
Supporting the evidence, Pinheiro tendered documents including account opening forms (pages 2–23 of Exhibit 22A) and a full bank statement (pages 24–413), with the earliest transaction dating back to February 12, 2016. Dada further explained the structure of the bank statements and types of transactions, including NEFT and NIP transfers, as recorded in the documents.
The former governor, who is facing a string of corruption-related charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has consistently denied any wrongdoing. However, the testimony given on Thursday adds significant weight to the prosecution’s claims of large-scale financial mismanagement and unauthorized withdrawals during his administration.
