Fresh testimony emerged on Wednesday in the alleged money laundering trial involving former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, as a prosecution witness told the court that the ex-governor did not participate in any of the property transactions at the center of the case.
The witness, Shehu Bello Bala, who appeared as the 17th prosecution witness, made the disclosure while being cross-examined by counsel to the former governor, Paul Daudu (SAN), before the court hearing the matter.
Bala stated that neither Yahaya Bello nor the second defendant, Umar Shuaib Oricha, was involved in the transactions relating to the properties under scrutiny. According to him, the deals were handled by one Dr. Farouk Bello, whom he identified as the agent involved in the purchases.
During the proceedings, the witness confirmed that title documents linked to the properties, including the Deed of Assignment and Power of Attorney, were later returned to Efab Estate by Dr. Farouk Bello.
He also clarified that he had no family relationship with either Ali Bello or Farouk Bello, despite mentioning them earlier in his testimony. Bala further told the court that he is from Katsina State and not Kogi State, distancing himself from any perceived connection to the former governor.
Explaining his relationship with Ali Bello, the witness said they had known each other for about 14 years through commodity trading activities. He recalled that they engaged in businesses involving grains, ginger, and other agricultural products sourced from northern Nigeria.
“I knew Ali Bello in the course of my business which is commodity trading. We have done quite a number of businesses like buying grains from the North. We buy ginger and other products from the North and sell it,” he told the court.
Under further questioning, Bala said he did not know the third defendant and confirmed that the individual also played no role in the transactions. He added that by the time the title documents were returned to Efab Estate, Dr. Farouk Bello, whom he described as a friend of his father, had already passed away.
The witness further revealed that someone later approached him with documents relating to one of the properties, expressing interest in selling it. However, he said he could not confirm whether the individual was a son of the late Farouk Bello. According to him, the matter prompted him to return the documents to the chairman of Efab Estate, where it became apparent that the property was already under investigation.
The alleged money laundering case against Yahaya Bello and the other defendants continues, with both the prosecution and defence presenting evidence as the court works toward determining the facts surrounding the disputed property transactions.
