By OBSERVERS TIMES.
A senior official from Access Bank has blown the whistle on how billions of naira, allegedly from Kogi State’s local government areas, found their way into private accounts through shady deals during former Governor Yahaya Bello’s time in office.
Ofure Achille, who used to be the Head of Operations at Access Bank’s Lokoja branch, told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday that huge cash deposits and withdrawals happened over several years. These suspicious activities were so alarming that they were reported to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
Achille is the seventh witness to testify in the ongoing trial of Ali Bello, former Governor Bello’s nephew and currently Chief of Staff to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo. Ali Bello is facing 18 charges of money laundering, accused of diverting N3 billion belonging to Kogi State.
Also in the dock are Abba Adaudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, Iyada Sadat, and Rashida Bello. They’re accused of using fake companies and personal accounts to move massive amounts of money around.
The bank official told the court that many transactions involving hundreds of millions of naira just didn’t add up, especially when compared to what the account holders were known to earn.
She gave examples, like the E-Traders account run by Jamilu Abdulahi. This account saw N30 million deposited over two days in December 2021, followed by another N40 million and then N30 million in early 2022. “These transactions were flagged and reported to the NFIU as Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) under anti-money laundering laws,” she stated.
Achille also revealed that accounts linked to other defendants, including Fazab Business Enterprise and Hyzman Ary Construction Limited, received huge sums from various Kogi LGAs. She pointed out that on August 29, 2017, Ary Construction got inflows totaling N171 million, even though its first deposit that day was a mere N10,000.
The EFCC’s lead prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), guided the witness through documents showing a clear pattern of deposits and withdrawals that allegedly show public funds being laundered.
The trial continues before Justice Obiora Egwatu as prosecutors push their case against the defendants in what has become one of Nigeria’s most talked-about corruption trials in recent years.
