EFCC vs Yahaya Bello: Court to Decide on Admissibility of Property Documents March 9
The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled March 9, 2026, to rule on whether certain documents presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will be admitted as evidence in the ongoing alleged money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, fixed the date after hearing extensive arguments from both the prosecution and the defence regarding the admissibility of property-related documents linked to the case.
The EFCC is seeking to tender a title deed and an irrevocable power of attorney relating to a property located in the Gwarinpa District of Abuja. The property was allegedly sold by Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company to Azba Real Estate Limited for N100 million. The documents were reportedly executed by Mubarak Dantata on behalf of the construction company and Ali Bello for Azba Real Estate Limited.
During proceedings, EFCC counsel Chukwudi Enebeli, SAN, attempted to introduce the documents through the 10th prosecution witness, Mahmoud Abdulazeez, an employee of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company.
However, counsel to the defendant, Joseph Daudu, SAN, strongly opposed the move.
Daudu argued that the documents should not be admitted because they were not properly certified by the relevant authority. According to him, only the Abuja Geographical Information Service (AGIS) has the legal authority to register and certify land documents in the Federal Capital Territory.
He also maintained that certification by the EFCC did not satisfy legal requirements.
The defence further contended that the documents did not clearly indicate the alleged N100 million consideration and that, as registrable land instruments, they must be properly registered before they can be accepted as evidence.
In response, EFCC lead counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, urged the court to admit the documents, explaining that they were intended to demonstrate the transaction between Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company and Azba Real Estate Limited rather than establish legal title to the property.
After hearing the submissions, Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until March 9 for a ruling on the objections and for continuation of the trial.
Earlier in the proceedings, the eighth prosecution witness, Gabriel Ochoche, a compliance officer with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), testified under cross-examination that he could not connect Yahaya Bello to any of the banking transactions presented in court.
Ochoche, who has four years’ experience with FCMB and seven years in the banking sector, confirmed that Bello’s name did not appear in the account opening documents or transaction records of Kumfayakum Global Limited covering the period from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2024.
He also stated that he was not the account manager for the company and had no personal knowledge of the individuals authorized to operate the account.
The witness said he could not determine the purpose of an inflow of N100 million from Keyless Nature Limited recorded on December 15, 2021, nor could he explain another Real Time Gross Settlement transfer ordered by the same company on December 17, 2021 through Access Bank.
According to him, only the account holders would be able to explain the purpose of the transactions.
When asked in court if he knew the defendant, Ochoche replied that he recognized Yahaya Bello as the former Governor of Kogi State. However, he reiterated that Bello’s name did not appear in any of the transactions highlighted in Exhibit 37 or elsewhere in the documents presented.
The ninth prosecution witness, Oluwafemi Victoria, a compliance officer with Polaris Bank, also gave testimony concerning transactions on accounts under investigation before the EFCC called its 10th witness, Mahmoud Abdulazeez.
Abdulazeez, who has worked with Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company since 2016 and currently serves as Chief Accountant and Head of Accounts, testified about a property located at Plot 1160, Cadastral Zone C03, Gwarinpa II District, Abuja.
He told the court that a Deed of Assignment was executed between Mubarak Dantata for Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company and Ali Bello for Azba Real Estate Limited.
The prosecution attempted to link payments allegedly made by one Maigari Murtala to the transaction, but the defence objected, arguing that the Deed of Assignment had not yet been tendered before the court and that questions relating to its contents were therefore improper.
When the prosecution subsequently sought to tender the Deed of Assignment and the Irrevocable Power of Attorney, documents said to have been submitted to the EFCC during its investigation, the defence again objected.
Daudu argued that because the documents relate to land ownership and are registrable instruments, they must be shown to have been properly registered before they can be admitted in either civil or criminal proceedings. He also insisted that the documents lacked a clause clearly stating the consideration for the transaction.
The prosecution countered that the witness had already provided oral evidence regarding the transaction and that the documents were being introduced to support that testimony.
Justice Nwite thereafter adjourned the case to March 9, 2026, for a ruling on the admissibility of the disputed documents and continuation of the trial.
