A prosecution witness in the trial of former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello on Tuesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that a property in Wuse II, Abuja, was sold for N650 million following negotiations with a man identified as Shehu Bello.
James Bem Igbakymeh, a lawyer and the 11th prosecution witness, said the property at Plot 1058, Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse II, was put up for sale in October 2021 after his client instructed him to market it. He told Justice Emeka Nwite that he placed a banner on the building to attract buyers and that Shehu Bello contacted him and later visited his office to negotiate the purchase.
“After negotiations, we agreed on a price of N650 million,” Igbakymeh said.
Igbakymeh told the court the payment was made through three designated accounts — two belonging to SFC Foods Limited and one to JIT Agric Limited at Polaris Bank, and another SFC Foods Limited account at Heritage Bank. He said funds were routed through different bureau de change operators before the property documents were handed to the buyer.
He said he was later invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), gave a statement and submitted all documents related to the transaction. When shown the Offer Letter and Deed of Assignment for the property, Igbakymeh confirmed he authored the letter and signed the deed alongside his client. The prosecution tendered those documents, and Justice Nwite admitted the Deed of Assignment and Offer Letter as Exhibits 44 and 45. The defence reserved its objections until filing a final written address.
Igbakymeh added that the name appearing as assignee on the deed was Ali Bello. When asked if Ali Bello and Shehu Bello were the same person, he said no, adding that both men had attended negotiations together on two occasions. Under cross-examination, he admitted the Deed of Assignment had not been prepared by him but was brought by those interested in purchasing the property. The witness was discharged after giving his evidence.
The prosecution then called its 12th witness, Jamilu Abdullahi, a bureau de change operator who said he owns Kunfayakun Global Limited, E-Traders International Limited and De-Remita International Limited. Abdullahi confirmed making a statement to the EFCC in 2021 and identified several bank statements previously admitted as exhibits.
He told the court he met one Abba Adaudu in 2021 at a Zenith Bank branch in Apo, Abuja, after discovering both were involved in foreign-exchange transactions. Abdullahi said Adaudu subsequently began sending funds to him for forex transactions, including multiple deposits in tranches of N10 million.
Abdullahi said deposits totalling N60 million were made into his Access Bank account in Lokoja on December 29 and 30, 2021, but that those deposits were made by Adaudu even though the transaction narration bore Abdullahi’s name. “My name was used as the narration, but I was not the one who paid the money. It was Abba Adaudu,” he told the court. He said he had never visited the Access Bank branch in Lokoja and that he typically converted the funds into dollars before handing cash to Adaudu. The witness said the transactions lasted for more than a year and sometimes involved transfers from companies linked to Adaudu, including Keyless Nature Limited and Ejadams Essence Limited. Some funds, he said, were used for international transfers, including payment of school fees to the American International School.
Abdullahi told the court he was exhausted from fasting and could not continue his testimony; the court stood him down to resume on the next adjourned date.
Earlier in the proceedings, Justice Nwite admitted documents relating to the alleged sale of another Abuja property — Plot 1160, Cadastral Zone, Gwarimpa II — reportedly sold for N100 million. The Irrevocable Power of Attorney and the Deed of Assignment for that transaction were admitted as Exhibits 42 and 43. An accountant for Dantata & Sawoe Construction Limited, Mahmoud Abdulaziz, told the court the company authorised Azba Real Estate Limited to execute the deed for the transaction.
Following the testimony, lead prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, applied for an order to set aside an earlier permission granted to the defendant to travel abroad, citing fresh developments and security concerns. Defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, opposed the application, noting that the defendant had been granted bail and is presumed innocent.
Justice Nwite adjourned the trial to April 22–24 and May 6–7, 2026, for continuation.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Bello on a 19-count charge alleging money laundering involving about N80.2 billion.
