The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, took a dramatic turn on Tuesday as the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama admitted a crucial prior judgment into evidence in the ongoing ₦110.4 billion fraud case against him.
Presiding judge, Justice Maryanne Anineh, approved the admissibility of the Certified True Copy of a High Court judgment alongside a payment receipt, marking them as Exhibits AY and AY2. The development is seen as a significant boost for the prosecution led by Kemi Pinheiro.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
At the heart of Tuesday’s proceedings was the testimony of Nicholas Okehone, an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja, who confirmed knowledge of a related court case involving Ali Bello and the school. He revealed that over $569,000 was paid upfront into a TD Bank account for the school fees of Bello’s children up to graduation—transactions now forming part of the prosecution’s case.
Defence counsels, including J.B. Daudu, SAN, did not oppose the admission of the documents, allowing the court to formally accept them without contest.
The courtroom also heard that while Ali Bello initiated the earlier suit as a parent of one prospective student, records indicated that Yahaya Adoza Bello is the father of four other children referenced in the financial documents.
Following cross-examination, the witness was discharged without re-examination, paving the way for the next phase of the trial.
In a strategic move, the prosecution urged the court to suspend hearing on a jurisdictional challenge filed by the defence, citing provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to prevent delays. Pinheiro argued that criminal trials must proceed without interruption, emphasizing the urgency of concluding the high-profile case.
With the admission of key evidence and growing momentum in court, the trial continues to unfold as one of Nigeria’s most closely watched anti-corruption cases.
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