By SUNTV Global Channel | February 5, 2026
The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, over an alleged ₦80.2 billion money laundering scheme, continued on Thursday at the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, with fresh details emerging on how ₦46.5 million was transferred to the American International School.
Testifying before Justice Emeka Nwite, a prosecution witness narrated how the funds were moved through a company account allegedly linked to the former governor.
The witness, Gabriel Ochoche, a compliance officer with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), appeared as the eighth prosecution witness (PW8) following a subpoena issued by the court. He was led in evidence by the EFCC’s counsel, Olukayode Enitan (SAN).
Ochoche told the court that transactions traced to Kunfayakun Global Limited, Account No. 7819613011, included payments to educational institutions, notably the American International School.
According to him, bank records showed a ₦30 million transfer on November 1, 2021, made to “American International School/Abdul Bashir,” followed by another transfer of ₦16,505,400 to the same beneficiary. The total amount transferred, he said, stood at ₦46,505,400.
The FCMB compliance officer confirmed that he was in court with the company’s statement of account, account opening documents, and certificate of compliance, all of which were admitted in evidence without objection and marked as Exhibit 37.
Clarifying the scope of the documents, Ochoche said the statement of account covered transactions between June 29, 2021, and December 31, 2024, and detailed seven columns: date, reference, description, value date, deposits, withdrawals, and balances.
While reading from Exhibit 37, the witness highlighted several significant inflows into the account, including a ₦700 million NIP transfer from Keyless Nature Limited on December 15, 2021, and a ₦400 million RTGS transfer on December 17, 2021, ordered by the same company through Access Bank.
He explained that RTGS (Real-Time Gross Settlement) transactions are transfers carried out by one bank on behalf of a customer.
Ochoche further told the court that on November 2, 2021, Kunfayakun Global Limited received multiple inflows from Gadonkaya Global Concept—₦10 million, another ₦10 million, and ₦8.96 million—while recording an outflow of ₦34,506,600 described as “American School and China Payment/Abdul Bashir.”
The witness also disclosed that on February 18, 2022, the account received six separate NIP transfers of ₦100 million each from Ejadams Essence Limited, totaling ₦600 million.
“Yes, my lord, I confirm that ₦600 million was received from Ejadams Essence Limited,” Ochoche told the court.
He further identified an RTGS inflow of ₦325 million dated February 21, 2022, with a value date of February 18, 2022, also ordered by Ejadams Essence Limited through Access Bank.
Earlier in the proceedings, Prosecution Witness 7 (PW7), Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, continued his testimony under cross-examination.
Egoro confirmed that an entry dated June 22, 2022, in Exhibit 33(8) reflected an outflow of ₦20 million for the supply of educational materials, stressing that it was not a cash withdrawal. He added that the beneficiary could not be identified from the document.
He also acknowledged that Yakubu Siyaka made multiple cash withdrawals between January 9, 2019, and December 30, 2022, amounting to over ₦552 million.
Explaining the bank’s responsibilities, Egoro said customers are free to use their funds, but banks are required to report transactions that do not align with a customer’s profile or fall within money laundering risk indicators.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to a later date for the continuation of trial.
— SUNTV Global Channel
