Abuja, FCT — An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operative has told an Abuja High Court that most funds credited to a company under investigation in the alleged ₦110.4 billion fraud case involving former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello originated from local government accounts in the state on a monthly basis.
The witness, John Justice, disclosed this on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, while testifying as Prosecution Witness 20 (PW20) before Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving ₦110.4 billion.
The testimony forms part of the prosecution’s effort to establish the movement of funds through several companies allegedly linked to the transactions under investigation.
EFCC Traces Monthly Inflows to Kogi Local Government Accounts
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, Justice said investigators obtained and analysed bank records showing the inflows and outflows involving several companies.
According to the witness, the analysis of the statement of account belonging to Forza Business Enterprise revealed that most of the funds credited to the company came from local government accounts in Kogi State on a monthly basis.
“Most of the funds coming into the account were funds from Kogi State Local Government accounts coming on monthly basis,” Justice told the court.
He further stated that the investigation identified Keyless Ventures as another company that benefited from proceeds traced through the accounts under examination.
The witness said investigators reviewed banking records to determine how funds moved between the companies and the sources from which the money originated.
CCTV Footage Allegedly Showed No Physical Cash Withdrawals
Justice told the court that the EFCC’s analysis revealed inflows from Kogi State into the companies’ accounts, with the corresponding transactions recorded as cash withdrawals.
“Our analysis reveals that these companies were receiving inflow from Kogi State while transactions were treated as cash withdrawals,” he said.
He explained that the commission subsequently invited officials of Access Bank and Zenith Bank and requested closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage after investigators observed large volumes of cash withdrawals in the transaction records.
According to him, the footage showed that the substantial sums recorded as withdrawals were not physically taken out of the banks.
The witness explained that the transactions could involve a customer completing both a cheque withdrawal and a deposit slip directing the funds into another account.
“What this means is; a customer walks into the bank, he fills a cheque withdrawal and a deposit slip to a different account,” Justice said.
His testimony suggests that investigators were examining whether transactions documented as cash withdrawals involved transfers or deposits into other accounts rather than the physical removal of cash from bank premises.
The precise implications of the transactions for the defendants’ alleged involvement remain matters for the court to determine.
EFCC Investigation Began With Intelligence on Kogi Local Governments
Earlier in his testimony, Justice said the investigation originated from intelligence received by the EFCC’s Procurement Fraud Section (PFS) concerning the activities of local governments in Kogi State.
He said the intelligence identified several companies, including Hayzma, Bibas Energy, Forza Oil and Gas, and Keyless Ventures.
The witness explained that investigators conducted Bank Verification Number (BVN) searches and sent formal requests to relevant banks for account information. The responses were subsequently analysed as part of the investigation.
During the proceedings, Pinheiro asked the witness to examine Exhibits AU, AT, AP and AO and confirm whether they were connected to the requests made during the investigation.
Justice confirmed that the documents related to the investigation and identified Exhibit AO as relating to Hayzma Business Enterprise, Exhibit AT as Keyless Nature, and Exhibit AP as Forza Business Enterprise.
He also told the court that a BVN search relating to Keyless Nature returned the name Abba Adaudu, while earlier searches had returned the names Yakubu Siyaka Adebenege and Iyadat Sa’adat.
The testimony forms part of the prosecution’s presentation of documentary and banking evidence concerning the companies and financial transactions under investigation.
Witness Details Experience in Financial Crime Investigations
Justice told the court that he had served as an EFCC operative for more than nine years.
He said his professional training at the EFCC Academy covered asset tracing, internet fraud, anti-money laundering, advance-fee fraud and other areas relevant to financial crime investigations.
When asked by the prosecution whether he had participated in an investigation involving the defendants, he answered in the affirmative.
Case Continues as Court Examines Financial Evidence
The proceedings are part of the ongoing prosecution of Bello, Oricha and Hudu over the alleged ₦110.4 billion financial offences.
The evidence presented by Justice concerns the movement of funds through company accounts, the origin of deposits, the classification of transactions as withdrawals, and the investigative use of bank records and CCTV footage.
The allegations remain subject to judicial determination. The witness’s testimony, on its own, does not establish the guilt of any defendant, and the defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in accordance with the law.
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Excerpt: An EFCC operative has told an Abuja High Court that most funds credited to Forza Business Enterprise came monthly from Kogi State local government accounts, as the prosecution presented evidence in the alleged ₦110.4 billion fraud case involving former governor Yahaya Bello.
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₦110.4bn Fraud Trial: EFCC Witness Makes Fresh Disclosure on Kogi LG Accounts
An EFCC operative has told an Abuja High Court that most funds credited to Forza Business Enterprise came from Kogi State local government accounts on a monthly basis.
The witness also testified that CCTV footage obtained from Access Bank and Zenith Bank allegedly showed that large sums recorded as cash withdrawals were not physically taken out of the banks.
The evidence was presented during the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and two co-defendants over an alleged ₦110.4 billion fraud.
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