The sixth Prosecution Witness (PW6) in the trial of former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi and two others on Wednesday narrated how an official of the government withdrew more than N1 billion in four days in 2018.
Bello is being prosecuted before Justice Maryanne Anenih, of FCT High Court Maitama, alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalam Hudu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They are being prosecuted by the EFCC in a suit marked FCT/HC/CR/778/24, on a 16-count charge bordering on breach of trust.
They were alleged to have committed the criminal breach of trust in respect of the sum of N110,446,470,089, among others.
Bello and his co-defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.
At the resumed hearing in the matter on Wednesday, the PW6, Mshelia Arhyel Bata, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank Plc, narrated how Hudu made various cash withdrawals running into billions of Naira from the Kogi State Government House account on different dates between 2016 and 2018.
Led in his evidence by prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, Bata told the court that the third defendant withdrew the sum of N110,446,470,089 between 30 January and 2 February 2018, from the account.
According to him, ‘Between 30 January and 2 February 2018, the total cash withdrawals by Abdulsalam Hudu were N1,096,444,300 in four days’.
Reading from the Government House’s statement of account, earlier tendered and marked as exhibit, the PW6 gave the breakdown of the four-day withdrawal.
He informed the court that Hudu withdrew the sums of N350 million on 30 January 2018, and N347,267,000 on 31 January 2018.
He added that the third defendant withdrew N300 million and N99,177,300 on 1 February and 2 February 2018, respectively.
The witness had earlier in the proceeding given various amounts of cash withdrawn by Hudu, including N200 million withdrawn through 21 withdrawals on 12 February 2016.
He also told the court that the third defendant made a total of 40 withdrawals on 21 December 2016.
He added that Hudu made 21 withdrawals totalling N203,240,000 on 9 May 2017, among other multiple withdrawals he (Hudu) made.
‘I can confirm numerous cash withdrawals made by Absulsalam Hudu which are in an inconsistent pattern’, Bata told the court.
According to him, there were other withdrawals made by one Umar Comfort Olufunke from the account in Nov and Dec 2016 and Jan to April 2017.
Following the request of adjournment made by counsel for Bello and Oricha, Abdullahi Yahaya SAN, Justice Anenih adjourned until Thursday for cross-examination of PW6 by the defence.
