By Ayomide Otitoju
The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, resumed on Wednesday before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
During the proceedings, the first prosecution witness (PW1), Fabian Nwaora, testified that Shehu Bello, an associate of Yahaya Bello, requested a refund of N550 million from EFAB Property Limited after discovering that the property he purchased was under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and linked to the former governor.
Nwaora, who serves as Chairman of EFAB Property Limited, disclosed that the property in question is located at No.1 Ikogosi Street, Maitama, Abuja. Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), he recounted the sale transaction, stating that EFAB had put up the property for sale in 2020. According to his testimony, Shehu Bello approached him to negotiate the purchase, and after agreeing on the price, he finalized the deal through EFAB’s General Manager, Segun Adeleke.
“After one week, my General Manager informed me that Shehu Bello had purchased the property, but the name on the agreement was Dr. Bello Ohiani. We signed and returned the documents for them to sign and return a copy to us, but we never received a signed copy back,” Nwaora told the court.
Three years later, Shehu Bello allegedly returned to Nwaora, stating that the property was under EFCC investigation and requested a refund. Following legal consultations, EFAB Property Limited was advised to comply with the EFCC’s directive to transfer the received funds into the commission’s account.
“After making our statements, the EFCC instructed us to refund the money. We returned N400 million first and later transferred the remaining N150 million. The property was marked under investigation, but after the refund, the EFCC permitted us to reclaim ownership of the house,” Nwaora testified.
The prosecution presented the sales agreement and deed of assignment related to the property, which were admitted into evidence and marked as Exhibits A1 and A2.
Earlier in the hearing, the court dismissed a defense application seeking the extra-judicial statements of the second and third defendants. The defense had argued for an adjournment on this basis, but prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro opposed the request, asserting that the defense had already been served with the statements on November 27, 2024. He further reminded the court that the January 29 and 30, 2025, hearing dates had been set as early as December 19, 2024, primarily for bail applications and not for additional document requests.
Persuaded by the prosecution’s argument, Justice Anenih dismissed the defense’s application, describing it as an attempt to delay proceedings, and ordered the trial to continue as scheduled.
At the close of the session, Justice Anenih adjourned the matter to April 3, April 24, and May 6, 2025, for the continuation of trial.
Yahaya Bello, Oricha, and Hudu are facing a 16-count charge related to criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to N110.4 billion.
