Investigator links $91,000 transaction, N150 million cash movement, and N100 million property deal to defendants in ongoing fraud trial
An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigator has linked a web of financial transactions—including dollar payments, bulk cash movements, and property acquisitions—to Ali Bello, Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo, in the ongoing N10.2 billion fraud trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Ahmed Abubakar, the 17th prosecution witness and an EFCC investigator, testified Monday that financial records recovered during the investigation detailed multiple inflows and outflows allegedly connected to Bello and his co-defendant, Dauda Sulaiman.
The Defendants
Bello, a nephew of former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello, and Sulaiman are standing trial on a 16-count amended charge bordering on alleged misappropriation and money laundering of N10,270,556,800.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, Abubakar identified exhibit F as a document containing transaction entries uncovered during the investigation.
The Trail of Money
The witness detailed several specific transactions:
- A $91,000 transaction dated February 5, 2021, paid to "Oga Ali"—a reference Abubakar identified as pointing to Ali Bello
- A N150 million outflow dated February 6, 2021, listed as payment to "Rashido"
According to Abubakar, "Rashido" referred to Abdulrasheed, who allegedly travelled from Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, to physically move the funds. The N150 million was transported from Lokoja to a bureau de change operator.
- Entries dated February 19, 2021, showing N10 million paid to Ali Bello and N500,000 to Sulaiman
The witness told the court that references such as "Alhaji Ali" and "Daud" in the records corresponded to the first and second defendants, respectively.
The Property Trail
On payments linked to account number 1000688500 belonging to Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company, the witness said transfers totalling N100 million—comprising N80 million and N20 million—were made in connection with Plot 1060 in Gwarimpa, Abuja.
"There were 10 entries of N10 million each, making a total of N100 million. The source is Maigari Murtala, an ally of the first defendant and a contact of the bureau de change operator," Abubakar testified.
The court admitted an irrevocable power of attorney for the property as Exhibit Q.
Trial-Within-Trial
Proceedings were briefly interrupted when the prosecution sought to tender extrajudicial statements made by the defendants in November and December 2022.
Defense counsel objected, arguing that the statements did not comply with sections 15(4) and 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), particularly regarding voluntariness and audio-visual recording requirements.
Justice James Omotosho ordered a trial-within-a-trial to determine whether the statements were voluntarily made.
Testifying in the mini-trial, Abubakar insisted the statements were obtained without coercion.
"In EFCC, we have a standard. No threats, no promises, and statements were taken in the presence of their counsel, with Z.E. Abbas being the most present," he said.
Following the mini-trial, the court admitted the statements as evidence after the defense raised no further objections.
What's Next
The judge adjourned the matter to February 17 for continuation.
The case represents one of the most significant corruption trials involving Kogi State officials, with allegations of large-scale diversion of public funds spanning multiple years and involving complex financial transactions designed to obscure the money trail.
For Bello, who now serves as chief of staff to the sitting governor, the mounting evidence presented in court poses both legal and political challenges. For anti-graft investigators, the detailed tracing of funds offers a blueprint for how public money allegedly flowed from state coffers into private hands.
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