The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, resumed on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, presided over by Justice Maryanne Anenih.
During the proceedings, the first prosecution witness (PW1), Fabian Nwaora, revealed that a close associate of Yahaya Bello, Shehu Bello, had requested a refund of N550 million from EFAB Property Limited. He explained that Shehu made this demand after realizing that the property he purchased was under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) due to its connection to Yahaya Bello.
Nwaora, who is the Chairman of EFAB Property Limited, testified that the property in question is situated at No.1 Ikogosi Street, Maitama, Abuja.
Under questioning from lead prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, Nwaora narrated how the transaction unfolded. According to him, EFAB had placed the property for sale in 2020, and Shehu Bello showed interest.
“We discussed the price and settled on N550 million. He said he would return the next day, but since I would be unavailable, I introduced him to my General Manager, Segun Adeleke. They exchanged contact details, and a week later, my GM informed me that Shehu Bello had completed the purchase,” Nwaora stated.
He further explained that when the agreement documents were brought for review, they bore the name Dr. Bello Ohiani instead of Shehu Bello. The agreement was signed, but EFAB never received a copy in return.
Three years after the purchase, Shehu Bello approached Nwaora, claiming the property was now under EFCC investigation. He returned all documents and requested a full refund. Seeking legal counsel, Nwaora was advised that the EFCC might summon them for questioning due to the ongoing probe.
Nwaora confirmed that EFAB was indeed contacted by the EFCC, which instructed the company to remit the entire payment received for the property into an EFCC-designated account.
“After submitting our statement, the EFCC informed us that since the house was under investigation, we had to return the entire N550 million. We made an initial transfer of N400 million and later paid the remaining N150 million. The house was initially marked, but after we refunded the money, the EFCC allowed us to reclaim it,” he stated.
The prosecution presented the sales agreement and deed of assignment in court, which were admitted into evidence as Exhibits A1 and A2.
Earlier in the hearing, the court dismissed a motion filed by the defense requesting the extra-judicial statements of the second and third defendants, as well as an adjournment of the case.
Opposing the request, the prosecution argued that the defense had already been served the necessary statements on November 27, 2024. The court had previously scheduled the trial for January 29 and 30, 2025, to address the issue of bail rather than additional document requests.
“The defense was served as far back as November 27. The court had adjourned since December 19, 2024, specifically for the bail hearing,” the prosecution counsel stated.
Agreeing with the prosecution, Justice Anenih ruled that the defense’s request was an attempt to stall proceedings and ordered the trial to continue.
At the conclusion of the session, the judge scheduled the next hearings for April 3 and 24, as well as May 6, 2025, for further proceedings.
Yahaya Bello, Oricha, and Hudu are currently facing a 16-count charge related to alleged criminal breach of trust and money laundering amounting to N110.4 billion.
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