The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed June 15 2026 for ruling on an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking permission to tender an extra judicial statement in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Yahaya Bello is currently facing a 19 count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and financial misconduct. The former governor, through his lawyer Mr Adebayo Adedeji SAN, challenged the admissibility of the statement, arguing that it would violate provisions of the Evidence Act.
The statement in question was made by the 14th prosecution witness, Shehu Bello, during investigations by the EFCC. The witness appeared before the court for continuation of his evidence in chief when the prosecution counsel, Mr Kayode Enitan SAN, attempted to tender the statement as evidence.
During his testimony, the witness spoke about a property located at Plot 1891 Dalla Hills Maitama Abuja, which the EFCC alleged was connected to the former governor. He explained that his friend, Ali Bello, requested assistance in finding a construction company to build the property.
According to the witness, he recommended Metro Deck Construction Company Limited for the project. He further told the court that payments for the construction were made partly through bank transfers and cash transactions in naira.
The witness also testified about another property at Plot 1058 Cadastral Zone A08 Wuse II Abuja, stating that Ali Bello asked him to help source land for commercial development. He said the property was eventually purchased from SFC Foods Limited.
The defence objected to the admissibility of the witness statement, insisting that such statements could only be used by the defence to challenge the credibility of a witness and not as substantive evidence against the defendant.
However, the EFCC maintained that the application was valid and urged the court to admit the statement in the interest of justice.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter until June 15 for ruling on the application.
The EFCC accused Bello of involvement in an alleged N80.2 billion fraud, including acquisition of luxury properties in Abuja and Dubai through proxies and transfer of over $700000 to a United States bank account.
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