It was high drama at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday when a key prosecution witness in the ₦80.2 billion fraud trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, stunned the court by disputing claims made by the EFCC that he was harassed by the defendant’s security team.
The witness, Mshellia Bata, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank, threw a curveball when he asked the judge for permission to personally set the record straight.
“My Lord, I wish to clarify the matter raised earlier. I was not harassed at all by any of the defendant’s security details — before, during, or after the last proceedings,” he said, calmly but firmly.
His revelation immediately cast a shadow over earlier claims by EFCC lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), who had alleged that the witness was intimidated and harassed after giving evidence on June 26.
The courtroom buzzed as Bello’s lawyer, J.B. Daudu (SAN), pounced on the moment, alerting the court to a news post on the EFCC’s official website claiming otherwise. He accused the commission of misleading the public and the court.
“This is a serious misrepresentation,” Daudu said. “Thankfully, the witness himself has cleared the air in the most honest way.”
Pinheiro, visibly taken aback, promised to notify the EFCC of the misinformation.
As the dust settled, Justice Emeka Nwite praised the witness for his courage and honesty, a sentiment echoed by Bello’s legal team.
But the surprises didn’t stop there.
Under cross-examination, Bata dropped another bombshell: Governor Yahaya Bello’s name was nowhere in the documents presented by the EFCC.
“From all the documents in front of me, His Excellency’s name did not appear as a signatory or beneficiary in any transaction,” Bata testified, referring to Exhibit 22A, a massive compilation of account records from the Kogi Government House Administration.
He went on to identify the actual signatories — Permanent Secretaries, Chief Accountants, and other senior officials — based on formal bank documentation and letters of introduction.
When Daudu attempted to probe deeper into who benefitted from the transactions, Pinheiro objected, saying the witness was not a legal expert. But Justice Nwite disagreed.
“The witness is an expert in banking compliance. He knows what he’s saying,” the judge ruled.
Meanwhile, Bello’s counsel moved a motion requesting the release of the former governor’s international passport to enable him to travel to the UK for urgent medical care.
Pinheiro opposed the request, describing it as an abuse of court process, given a similar application was filed at the FCT High Court.
Daudu fired back, saying the EFCC was the one abusing the system.
“We were served with their counter affidavit just yesterday, and we responded overnight. The law allows my client to apply through the court for travel — and after eight years of being grounded, his health demands it,” Daudu told the court.
After a full day of twists and revelations, Justice Nwite adjourned proceedings to July 3 and 4 for continuation of the trial, and July 21 for ruling on the travel application.