EFCC Witness Tells Court Kogi LG Accounts Funded Companies Monthly in Alleged ₦110.4bn Fraud
An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), John Justice, has told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, that most funds credited to the accounts of companies under investigation in the alleged ₦110.4 billion fraud case involving former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello originated from local government accounts in the state on a monthly basis.
Justice disclosed this on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, while testifying as Prosecution Witness 20 (PW20) before Justice Maryanne Anineh.
Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving ₦110.4 billion.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, the witness said investigators obtained financial records from banks to trace the movement of funds through the accounts of several companies linked to the investigation.
He explained that the responses received from the banks were analysed, leading investigators to identify Keyless Ventures as another company that benefited from proceeds traced to the companies under investigation.
According to Justice, an analysis of the statement of account of Forza Business Enterprise revealed that most of its inflows came from Kogi State local government accounts on a monthly basis.
“Most of the funds coming into the account were funds from Kogi State Local Government accounts coming on monthly basis,” he told the court.
The witness further stated that investigators discovered that the companies received funds from Kogi State, while the transactions were recorded as cash withdrawals.
“Our analysis reveals that these companies were receiving inflow from Kogi State while transactions were treated as cash withdrawals,” he said.
Justice disclosed that the EFCC subsequently invited officials of Access Bank and Zenith Bank and requested closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to investigate the large volumes of cash recorded in the transactions.
He said the footage showed that the substantial sums recorded as withdrawals were not physically taken out of the banks.
Explaining the transactions, the witness said a customer could enter a bank, fill out a cheque withdrawal and a deposit slip for another account, with the transaction subsequently treated as a cash withdrawal.
Earlier in his testimony, Justice said the investigation began after the EFCC’s Procurement Fraud Section received intelligence concerning the activities of local governments in Kogi State.
He identified several companies mentioned in the intelligence, including Hayzma, Bibas Energy, Forza Oil and Gas, and Keyless Ventures.
The operative said investigators conducted Bank Verification Number (BVN) searches and wrote to the relevant banks to obtain information, which was subsequently analysed.
During the proceedings, Justice identified several documentary exhibits presented by the prosecution, including documents relating to Hayzma Business Enterprise, Keyless Nature and Forza Business Enterprise.
He identified Exhibit AO as relating to Hayzma Business Enterprise, Exhibit AT as Keyless Nature, and Exhibit AP as Forza Business Enterprise.
The witness also told the court that a BVN search concerning Keyless Nature returned the name Abba Adaudu, while earlier searches had produced the names Yakubu Siyaka Adebenege and Iyadat Sa’adat.
Justice, who said he had served as an EFCC operative for more than nine years, disclosed that he had received training at the commission’s academy in asset tracing, internet fraud, anti-money laundering, advance-fee fraud and other areas.
He confirmed that he participated in the investigation involving the defendants and identified Emeka Okonjo, Adamu Umar, Hamza Lawal and Dauda Usman as members of the investigation team.
He also mentioned the Chairman Monitoring Unit (CMU), which he said was headed by Adamu Tilde, with Audu Abubakar and Yazid Bawa among its members.
Earlier, counsel to the first and second defendants, J.B. Daudu, SAN, and counsel to the third defendant, Z.E. Abbas, concluded the cross-examination of PW19, Jamilu Abdullahi, a Bureau de Change operator.
Following the prosecution’s decision not to conduct a re-examination, Abdullahi was discharged after his testimony.
Justice Anineh subsequently adjourned the trial to November 24, December 2 and December 8, 2026, for continuation.
