Alleged N110bn laundering: How I received money to pay Yahaya Bello’s children’s school fees — BDC operator

A Bureau de Change (BDC) operator, Jamilu Abdullahi, on Thursday told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) how one Abba Adaudu lodged more than ₦1.425 billion into his accounts between 15 December 2021 and 21 February 2022, as well as provided other funds to pay the school fees of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello’s children at the American International School Abuja (AISA).

Abdullahi said this while testifying as the 19th prosecution witness (PW19) in the ongoing trial of the former governor and two others before the court.

Bello and his co-defendants, Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalam Hudu, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering involving ₦110,446,470,089 before Justice Maryanne Anenih, sitting in Maitama, Abuja.

The former governor and his co-defendants are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on behalf of the Federal Government, in the case marked FCT/HC/CR/778/24.

Bello and the others, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by the anti-corruption commission.

At the resumed hearing, the BDC operator, while being led in his evidence-in-chief by prosecuting counsel Dr Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, confirmed to the court that he received ₦1.425 billion lodged into his accounts between 15 December 2021 and 21 February 2022.

He told the court that, apart from the funds deposited into his accounts, Adaudu also gave him money to pay school fees for the former governor’s children.

According to him, “I carried out the transactions upon the receipt of the school fees from Abba Adaudu to effect transfers to AISA on behalf of the names and the account details for the school provided for the transfers and it was concluded successfully to AISA’s account.”

He added that he paid the former governor’s children’s school fees using his colleagues’ companies, Forza Oil and Gas Limited, Whales Oil and Gas and Alesua Solutions Services, as he did not have money in his offshore accounts to make the payments.

Asked by the prosecutor to confirm the names Fatima, Zahra, Naima and Zayyan, which the prosecutor identified as those of the children whose fees were paid, the witness said, “The names sound familiar and were used for payment of school fees to AISA.”

PW19 identified the telexes earlier tendered by the prosecution as exhibits in the case and explained that he sent them to Adaudu after making the payments.

He further confirmed to the court that he received funds from Adaudu for foreign exchange transactions through the accounts of his companies: E-Traders International Limited, Kun-Faya-Kun and De-Remita International Limited.

According to him, Adaudu used two companies, Key-less Nature Limited and Ejadams Essence Limited, to transfer money to him. He added that Adaudu also deposited cash into his accounts from Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, using the witness’s name, Jamilu Abdullahi.

However, while being cross-examined by counsel for the former governor, Abdullahi Yahaya, SAN, the witness said he had no direct transactions with either Bello or his co-defendants.

He further told the court that the defendants’ names did not appear in any of the cash lodgements into his accounts.

Asked to tell the court the equivalent value of the foreign currencies he gave to Adaudu, the prosecution witness said he could not remember.

Meanwhile, Justice Anenih adjourned the case until 27 October for the continuation of the cross-examination of PW19.