Lead counsel to former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, Joseph Daudu has dismissed the ongoing ₦80.2 billion case as a political trial rather than a legitimate criminal prosecution.
The declaration came during a heated session at the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, following a cross-examination that appeared to chip away at the prosecution’s narrative.
The EFCC’s seventh prosecution witness (PW-7), Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer from Access Bank Plc, made a series of critical admissions under questioning by the defense.
Despite being subpoenaed to link the former governor to suspicious financial flows, Egoro admitted that the name Yahaya Bello appeared nowhere in the voluminous bank exhibits (Exhibit 33) as either a sender or a recipient.
The transactions in question, largely payments from Kogi’s 21 Local Government Areas into private accounts like Keyless Nature Limited were consistent with standard banking procedures. The bank had received no fraud reports or court orders regarding these accounts during the period in question.
When pressed on whether Bello ever served as a local government chairman, the officials responsible for awarding the contracts being scrutinized the witness confirmed that the former governor held no such position.
The atmosphere in the courtroom sharpened when the EFCC’s lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, interjected to suggest that the absence of a name is a classic hallmark of money laundering.
Pinheiro remarked that in such cases, payments are typically made in disguise to mask the true beneficiary.
Daudu was quick to counter, telling the court that the casual statement from the prosecution would not go unanswered.
“Very soon, we will know that this is not a money laundering trial but a political trial,” the Senior Advocate remarked, signaling a shift in the defense strategy toward proving that the charges are motivated by external interests rather than evidence of theft.
The witness detailed various payments from local government councils, including Okene, Okehi, and Omala LGAs, for items such as medical consumables, sporting equipment, and educational materials.
While the prosecution frames these as diversions, the defense maintains they were legitimate payments for services rendered, pointing out that the bank official could not provide evidence of any business or contractual relationship being fraudulent.
This latest development follows a recent court ruling granting Bello permission to travel for the 2026 Lesser Hajj, a request his lawyers said was necessary for the former governor to “seek divine intervention” over his legal hurdles.
The trial has been adjourned until February 5, 2026, for the continuation of Egoro’s cross-examination.
