N80bn Fraud Trial: Witness Tells Court How Associate Of Yahaya Bello Bought Abuja Property For N650m

The ongoing trial of former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, over alleged ?80.2 billion money laundering resumed on Monday before Justice Emeka Nwite, with a prosecution witness narrating how a property in Wuse II, Abuja was purchased for ?650 million by a man identified as Shehu Bello.
The case, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), centres on a 19-count charge alleging that Bello laundered N80,246,470,088.88 during his tenure as governor.
Testifying as the 11th prosecution witness, lawyer James Bem Igbakymeh told the court that his client had instructed him in October 2021 to sell a property located at Plot 1058, Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse II, Abuja.
According to him, he placed a sale banner on the property to attract buyers, after which a man identified as Shehu Bello contacted him and later visited his office to negotiate the purchase.
Igbakymeh said both parties eventually agreed on a sale price of ?650 million.
“My lord, after negotiations we agreed on the price of N650 million,” the witness told the court.
He disclosed that the funds were paid into three designated accounts provided by his client. The accounts, he said, belonged to SFC Foods Limited and JIT Agric Limited and were domiciled in Polaris Bank and Heritage Bank.
The witness further explained that the payments were routed through different bureau de change operators before the transaction was concluded and the property documents handed over to the buyer.
Igbakymeh told the court that officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission later invited him for questioning during the course of their investigation.
“Sometime after the completion of the transaction, I received a call from an EFCC officer who asked me to report to their Wuse II office in Abuja because I featured prominently in an investigation,” he said.
He said he honoured the invitation, wrote a statement and submitted relevant documents relating to the property transaction.
During the proceedings, the prosecution presented the Offer Letter and Deed of Assignment for the property. The witness confirmed authoring the Offer Letter and identified his signature and that of his client on the Deed of Assignment.
Although defence counsel reserved their objections until the final written address, Justice Nwite admitted the Offer Letter and Deed of Assignment as Exhibits 44 and 45 respectively.
However, when the witness examined the final page of the Deed of Assignment, he told the court that the name listed as the assignee was Ali Bello.
Asked whether Ali Bello and Shehu Bello were the same person, he replied in the negative.
Explaining the discrepancy, the witness said both men were present during the negotiation process.
“My lord, Shehu Bello came to my office with Ali Bello on two occasions during the negotiations,” he said.
Under cross-examination, Igbakymeh admitted that he did not prepare the Deed of Assignment, explaining that it was brought to him by those interested in purchasing the property.
He also confirmed that the document indicated Ali Bello as the assignee.
Following his testimony, the witness was discharged by the court.
The prosecution subsequently called its 12th witness, Jamilu Abdullahi, a bureau de change operator.
Abdullahi told the court that he owned three companies—Kunfayakun Global Limited, E-Traders International Limited and De-Remita International Limited—and confirmed that he made a statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2021.
The statement was admitted in evidence as Exhibit 36.
He also told the court that he is the signatory to the bank accounts operated by the companies and that he maintains a personal account with Access Bank.
The trial continues.