The trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello resumed on Wednesday before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, with a prosecution witness alleging that a significant portion of the commissions earned by his company from consultancy services to the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) was paid to officials of the agency.
Testifying as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s 18th prosecution witness, the businessman told Justice Maryanne Anineh that his firm received commissions for tax automation, audit and advisory services provided to the revenue agency and subsequently paid between 50 and 60 per cent of those earnings to certain individuals connected to the organisation.
Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge involving allegations of criminal breach of trust and money laundering totaling N110.4 billion. The defendants have denied the allegations.
The witness explained that his company was engaged by KSIRS to modernise tax collection processes and provide consultancy services aimed at improving internally generated revenue in the state.
According to him, the original agreement entitled the company to a 15 per cent commission on revenue collections above a specified threshold. He said the rate was later reduced to five per cent after tax collections increased and automation lowered operational costs.
During his testimony, the witness identified former KSIRS chairman, Senator Yakubu Oseni, as one of the officials involved in the consultancy arrangement.
He told the court that a substantial portion of the commissions received by his company was transferred to other parties through bank transactions and cash payments. The payments, he said, were not part of the official consultancy agreement but were made following directives allegedly conveyed through aides linked to senior officials of the revenue service.
The witness further disclosed that some of the instructions were communicated through personal assistants to both Oseni and his successor, Aliyu Nda Salami.
Reviewing bank records tendered as evidence, the prosecution highlighted several large inflows from KSIRS accounts into the company’s accounts, followed by withdrawals and transfers executed by another signatory, Jami’u Salihu.
The witness confirmed that Salihu was introduced as a signatory to the company’s project account at the request of Oseni and was authorised to operate the account independently.
He also identified transactions involving payments to several companies and property-related transfers but stated that he could not explain some of the transactions because they were initiated by Salihu rather than himself.
Under cross-examination, the witness maintained that his company fully delivered the services for which it was contracted and said there had been no complaints from the Kogi State Government regarding its performance.
The court also heard testimony from the EFCC’s 19th witness, Jamilu Abdullahi, a Bureau de Change operator and owner of several companies.
Abdullahi confirmed knowledge of multiple corporate entities referenced during the proceedings and identified account statements belonging to his businesses and personal accounts that had been admitted as evidence.
Earlier in the session, the court concluded the cross-examination of prosecution witness Shenu Bello Bala, an estate agent and commodity trader, who clarified that he had no family relationship with either Yahaya Bello or Ali Bello despite sharing the same surname.
Following the day’s proceedings, Justice Anineh adjourned the case until October 14, 15, 27 and 28, 2026, for the continuation of trial.
