Testimony at the ongoing corruption trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello took a dramatic turn on Friday as an EFCC witness admitted under oath that the tax consultant at the centre of the ₦1.1 billion payments acted within Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulations.
The witness, Mr David Ajoda, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank, appeared before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, presided over by Justice Maryann Anenih.
Ajoda told the court that the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) paid a total of ₦1,164,929,569 to a tax consultant as commission over an eight-month period between January and August 2019, shortly after the consultant was engaged by the state tax authority.
According to the banker, the consultant withdrew about ₦952.4 million from the account within the same period, leaving a balance of ₦212.5 million. He said the withdrawals, which followed a consistent pattern, were carried out by Phillip Unar.
Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Prof. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), Ajoda tendered the consultant’s bank statements, which were admitted by the court. However, he acknowledged that he had no knowledge of the terms, scope, or legitimacy of the tax consultancy contract between KSIRS and the consultant.
The witness added that before the consultancy arrangement commenced, the account balance stood at just over ₦2 million, but inflows surged immediately after the engagement began.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Joseph Daudu (SAN), representing Yahaya Bello and co-defendant Umar Shuaib Oricha, Ajoda made key concessions.
He confirmed that:
The name “Kogi State Government” did not feature in any of the bank transactions.
The bank account belonged to the tax consultant, who was legally entitled to operate it.
CBN regulations permit individuals to withdraw up to ₦5 million per transaction and corporate entities up to ₦10 million.
The withdrawals did not breach CBN rules, and consequently, no suspicious transaction report was filed.
Significantly, the banker told the court that neither Yahaya Bello nor his co-defendants appeared as beneficiaries of any of the withdrawals traced to the account.
He also drew a clear distinction between Kogi State Government and the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, stressing that both are separate legal entities.
The trial involves former governor Yahaya Bello, alongside Umar Shuaib Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, who are facing corruption-related charges linked to alleged financial impropriety during Bello’s administration.
Justice Anenih adjourned further hearing in the matter to February 10.
Legal observers say the latest testimony may reshape the narrative of the prosecution’s case, as attention increasingly shifts to whether investigators can establish a direct and unlawful financial link between the accused persons and the disputed transactions.
₦1.1bn Kogi Commission: EFCC Witness Concedes Consultant’s Transactions Were Lawful
