EFCC: Bank Exposes Shocking Cash Haul in Yaya Bello’s Trial

A Zenith Bank officer stunned the courtroom yesterday when she revealed that ₦1.09 billion disappeared from Kogi State’s funds within just seventy-two hours.

Her testimony illuminated suspicious transactions, implicating officials and raising serious doubts about potential financial misconduct during Yahaya Bello’s administration.

Mashelia Dada, the bank’s compliance officer, testified under oath about officials systematically draining the government account.

They executed several questionable withdrawals within a short timeframe, which raised significant concerns about their activities.

As a result, her detailed account highlighted significant vulnerabilities in the state’s financial management practices during that period.

Justice Emeka Nwite’s courtroom fell silent as Dada explained how ₦697 million disappeared between January 30 and February 1, 2018.

The witness revealed each withdrawal came in ₦10 million chunks, all collected by a man named Abdulsalami Hudu.

By February 2, another ₦99 million had been taken, pushing the three-day total past the billion-naira mark.

Bank records showed these transactions blatantly violated Nigeria’s cashless policy, which caps government withdrawals at ₦5 million.

Prosecutors displayed documents proving the state account incurred ₦4.75 million in penalty charges for just one day of excessive cash movements.

A separate ₦3.3 million transfer to Ali Bello raised further eyebrows among investigators.

The financial trail grew hotter when Dada described identical patterns in 2022.

Three separate ₦100 million deposits from state funds entered the account that May, only to vanish immediately in familiar ₦10 million bundles.

The same beneficiaries – Hudu and Alhassan Omakoji – kept reappearing like clockwork to collect the cash.

September 2023 brought the most brazen transactions yet.

Eleven withdrawals of ₦10 million each occurred in a single day, each triggering ₦500,000 fines.

Bank statements revealed how ₦347 million evaporated on January 31, 2018 alone, siphoned through thirty-six separate transactions.

Prosecutor Kemi Pinheiro actively questioned the witness about account documents from 2016 to 2023, revealing troubling financial activities.

The records vividly showed multiple transfers to entities like Whales Oil and Gas, and Jimeda Properties, confirming suspicions.

Each document presented as evidence further implicated the former governor’s financial dealings, tightening legal scrutiny significantly.

As the EFCC advances its ₦80.2 billion fraud case, these bank revelations serve as crucial evidence, acting like a smoking gun.

Meanwhile, the courtroom anticipates more explosive testimony when hearings resume, with the nation expecting transparency and justice.

Ultimately, the case tests whether justice will flow freely, as missing millions did in the past, or if it will be obstructed.

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