THE bureau de change operator, testifying as a prosecution witness, a breakdown of how former Governor Yahaya Bello repeatedly paid school fees of his three daughters in dollars through him and his companies.
Jamilu Abdullahi, an Abuja-based Bureau de Change operator and third prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Bello, on Thursday, 26 September 2024, gave a narrative of the financial transactions between him and the Kogi State government under former governor, Yahaya Bello, before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
The rundown includes how the former governor repeatedly paid school fees of his three daughters in dollars through him and his companies.
Ali Bello, the current Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, is the nephew of Yahaya Bello. He is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 18 counts of money laundering and misappropriation to the tune of over N3 billion, alongside Abba Daudu, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness disclosed that on one of the occasions, Daudu, the second defendant brought $300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Dollars) in cash to him for the payment of Yahaya Bello’s daughters’ school fees. “Abba Daudu called me to say that they have a transaction though it was on the weekend, but I drove down to the office and waited for them to come. Upon their arrival, three of them came. One of them stayed in the car with the driver, two of them walked to my office and a friend of Abba Daudu was holding black leather bag containing $300,000.
“Upon entering, he greeted, and Abba Daudu introduced him as his friend and business partner, saying he has a transaction. He dropped $300,000 in cash. I wanted to count the dollars before they left, but I could not be due to the power outage. I told him I cannot use my hands and needed to confirm that it was $300,000, so I locked the dollars in my office safe and two of them left. Then, Abba Daudu’s friend said when I confirmed the sum, details will be forwarded to me for payment. However, the sum of $300,000 attracts some service charges which he said I should calculate and let Abba Daudu know. After I completed the transfer, I forwarded four receipts indicating $75,000 four times to Abba Daudu, and he confirmed to me that the payment was confirmed successfully,” he said.
When asked by the prosecution counsel if he knew anything regarding the transactions on Exhibit D, Pages 50, 52 and 53, he said, “Yes, I know the transactions of $75,000, paid to the school four times, totalling the sum of $300,000,as forwarded by Abba Daudu and further confirmed that the fees was paid for one of Yahaya Bello’s daughters. And the name of the recipient is Naima Ohunene Bello,” he said.
Another payment of the fees, he recalled, was done by a company, Aleshua Solutions Services, which, he said paid the sum of $42,170 for Naima Ohunene Bello. “It was paid on behalf of the student Naima Ohunene Bello for school fees based on the instruction and as forwarded by Abba Daudu, and the date is 24 January 2022.”
On Page 7 of the Exhibit D, was $78,160 he identified as payment for school fees through Aleshua Solutions Services in respect of another Yahaya Bello’s daughter, Fatima Oziohu Bello. “Based on the receipt before me, I am seeing acknowledgement of $78,135 being paid for Fatima Bello and on the Aleshua Solutions Services.”
On Page One of Exhibit D, he identified a transaction of $44,675 also for Naima Bello. “I have seen it on the receipt of the payment. Forty-four thousand, seven hundred dollars, ($44,700) was paid to the school, but due to internal charges from the bank, $25 dollars was deducted, making the total balance of $44,675.00,” he said.
The beneficiary school, he told the court, was American International School (AIS).
Regarding transactions from Daudu’s company, Keyless Nature Limited, to his own Kunfayakun company’s account on December 15 and 17, 2021, he said: “I received the sum of N100 million on the 15 December 2021 from Keyless Nature. On the 17 December 2021, I received N400 million. Meanwhile on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd, December 2021, I received N100 million. On the 22nd December 2021, I received the sum of N100 million only. On the 23rd December 2021, I received N35 million.
“I also received payment from Remita International in the sum of N40 million on 12th December 2021, and there was an entry of N33 million on the 17th of December 2021. On the 7th February 2022, I confirmed the receipt of N90 million from Keyless Nature,” he said.
Counsel to Ali Bello, first defendant A.M Aliyu, who wished to cross-examine the witness, asked for adjournment to enable him study and have a full grasp of the massive facts and figures involved. Nurain Jimoh, counsel for the second, third and fourth defendants, agreed with him, while the prosecution counsel objected to the adjournment on the account that the witness has been in the dock since 6 February 2023. “I believe the cross-examination of PW 3 should begin. If there are other grounds, however, the application can be sustained. If not, I urge your lordship to turn it down.”
Justice Egwuatu adjourned the matter till 25 October 2024 and 5 and 6 November 2024 for continuation of trial.
It could be recalled that while testifying on Tuesday, 24 September 2024, the witness identified that Page 9 of Exhibit D, also contained $11,000 payment by Whales Oil and Gas to AIS, which was done based on Daudu’s directive, being the one who gave him the account details into which he made the payment.
He further explained on the same date that exhibits16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 were all payments to AIS. Exhibit 16, he said, captured payments of $7,653 to Bello Nana Fatima. The same he said applied to the payment of $19,296 on Page 17 and $7,725 on Page 18, while pages 19, 20 and 21 captured payments of $6,611.29, $21,470 and $21,492 respectively in favour of Zahra Bello.
He also narrated on 24 September 2024 how cash lodgments running into millions of naira were made into his E-Traders International Limited and Kunfayakun companies’ accounts as well as to his personal account by Daudu.
According to him, on 27 July 2021, he received N10 million and on 19 August 2012, there was a cash deposit of N100 million in N10 million tranches and N100 million deposit on 25 August 2021.
On 30 August 2021, he disclosed that there was N63 million deposit and an additional N50 million, a day later on 31 August 2021 into his account. He further disclosed that on 2 September 2021, there were double lodgments of N30 million totaling N60 million.
He stated that the inflows into his accounts continued on 8 October 2021, with a transfer of N60 million and a double inflow of N130 million and N139.5 million on 4 November 2021.
On 10 November 2021, N25,134,000 flowed in; another N50 million, he said, flowed in on 12 November 2021and N200 million on 30 November 2021. The inflows, he said, continued on 1 December 2012 with N220 million and N16,008,000 on 3 December 2021. On 22 December 2012, he said N40 million flowed in from the same source.
The witness, in the 24 September 2024 testimony, also admitted that Kayless Nature Limited made a deposit of N100 million to him on 21 December 2021 with the authorisation of the second defendant.
On 22 December 2021, another N100 million, he said, flowed in from Kayless Nature Limited, and another N60 million from the company on 29 December 2021.
The financial traffic continued in the new year. According to him, on 18 January 2022, N40 million flowed in and continued thereafter. “On the 19 January 2022, I received N50 million, while on 24 January, 2022, I received N30 million, and on the 28 of that same January 2022, I received N40 million cash in four tranches, and another N120 million. On 31 January 2022, I received an inflow of N160 million, while on 1 February 2022, I received N110 million, and N150 million on 8 February 2022,” he said.
He further disclosed that on 2 March 2022, a total of N84 million was deposited in his account with another lodgment of N122, 980,000 on 10 March 2022 and N60 million on 21 March 2022.
On 5 April 2022, he said, N150 million flowed in and N140 million, a day after on 6 April 2022.