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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Yahaya Bello trial: EFCC witness details alleged kickback scheme

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • A witness testified in the trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, detailing alleged kickbacks paid to state revenue officials.
  • The witness stated his company paid 50-60% of commissions earned from consultancy services to unidentified stakeholders via bank transfers and cash.
  • The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bello and others on charges involving criminal breach of trust and money laundering totaling N110.4 billion.

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has revealed that his company paid between 50 and 60 percent of commissions earned from consultancy services to unidentified officials within the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS). The witness, the 18th for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), testified before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.

Between 50 and 60 per cent of the commissions were paid to certain stakeholders.

— Prosecution Witness (PW18)The witness detailed the percentage of commissions paid to unidentified officials.

The witness, whose company provided IT, software development, and tax automation services, explained that an initial agreement for a 15 percent commission on tax collections over N350 million was later revised downward to five percent due to significant revenue growth. He identified Yakubu Oseni, the former KSIRS Chairman, as one of the officials he dealt with during this arrangement.

No.

— Prosecution Witness (PW18)The witness responded negatively when asked if these payments were part of the consultancy agreement.

These substantial payments, described as being made through bank transfers and cash transactions, were allegedly routed through Oseni's Personal Assistant and later through his successor's aide. The witness confirmed that these payments were not part of the original consultancy agreement. He also identified account statements of his company, Bespoke Business Solution, as exhibits, noting that a nominee signatory operated the account independently.

Jami’u Salihu signs independently from me.

— Prosecution Witness (PW18)The witness confirmed the independent operation of a nominee signatory on the company's account.

Yahaya Bello is being prosecuted by the EFCC alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge related to criminal breach of trust and money laundering, with the alleged amount involved totaling N110.4 billion. The witness also confirmed significant inflows from KSIRS to his company, including N92.4 million and N261.8 million in August 2017, followed by withdrawals. He also confirmed payments totaling N70 million to Efab Properties but could not ascertain the purpose of those transactions.

I wouldn’t know which property was paid for because it was not my transaction.

— Prosecution Witness (PW18)The witness stated he could not identify the purpose of payments made to Efab Properties.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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