In a significant development in the ongoing multi-billion naira money laundering trial of Yahaya Bello, a key prosecution witness testified on Wednesday that the immediate past Governor of Kogi State was completely detached from the controversial property transactions before the court. The seventeenth prosecution witness, Shehu Bello Bala, affirmed during cross-examination that neither the former governor nor his co-defendants participated in the real estate deals, pointing instead to a deceased agent, Farouk Bello, as the individual who handled the transactions before the assets came under scrutiny by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bala, a commodity trader from Katsina State, made these statements while being cross-examined by defense counsel Paul Daudu, SAN. His testimony directly challenges key elements of the prosecution’s narrative regarding how the disputed assets were acquired and managed.
According to Bala, the entire transaction structure relied on Farouk Bello rather than the accused public officials. He explained to the court that following Farouk’s passing, he was approached by an individual holding the property documents who wished to liquidate the assets. This prompted Bala to return the title documents, specifically the deed of assignment and power of attorney to the chairman of Efab Estate.
