BREAKING: N80.2bn Money Laundering Trial: Court Rejects CTCs Without Receipts As Yahaya Bello’s Financial Trail Tightens

The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, over an alleged N80.24 billion money laundering scheme continued on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with the court insisting on strict compliance with evidentiary rules.

Bello is facing a 19-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust.

At the resumed hearing, prosecution counsel, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed the court that proceedings were scheduled for the cross-examination of Prosecution Witness Seven (PW7), adding that the prosecution had three witnesses available.
PW7, Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank Plc, mounted the witness box and confirmed he was testifying pursuant to a subpoena. He identified and tendered Exhibits 32, 33(1–11), and 34, noting that he had previously testified before another Federal High Court in relation to the same documents, although he could not recall the specific defendants involved.

During cross-examination, defence counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, sought to tender Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents from the earlier proceedings. While the prosecution raised no objection to the documents themselves, Pinheiro drew the court’s attention to a procedural defect, stressing that the defence failed to produce receipts evidencing payment for the CTCs.

Justice Nwite upheld the objection, ruling that the documents could only be admitted upon presentation of the required receipts. The defence subsequently informed the court that efforts were underway to retrieve the missing receipts.

Further cross-examination focused on banking transactions involving Keyless Nature Limited, Fazab Oil, and Abba Adaudu. The witness confirmed a counter cheque payment at Access Bank’s Otukpo Branch, as well as transfers of N200,000 and N8 million made in favour of Abba Adaudu.
On local government inflows, Egoro testified that funds credited to the accounts were tied to specific transactions, including:
N7,500,144.61 from Okehi Local Government for the supply of medical items;
N10,863,247.50 from Omala Local Government on June 3, 2022, for sporting materials; and
N12,228,400.10 from Yagba East Local Government on June 6, 2022, for the procurement of medical consumables.
He added that the entries contained in Exhibit 33(11) were consistent with normal banking transactions, while noting that the account opening package for Fazab Oil was not immediately available but could be retrieved if required.

Justice Nwite thereafter adjourned the case to Thursday, February 5, 2026, for the continuation of PW7’s cross-examination, as the financial trail linked to the former governor remains under intense judicial scrutiny.