A top representative from Access Bank has provided detailed testimony in court, outlining how billions of naira suspected to be public funds from various Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kogi State were allegedly diverted into private bank accounts during the tenure of former Governor Yahaya Bello.
Appearing before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, Ofure Achille, a former Head of Operations at the bank’s Lokoja branch, revealed that numerous suspicious cash deposits and withdrawals were conducted over a span of several years. According to Achille, these transactions were identified and flagged as suspicious, prompting reports to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in line with anti-money laundering regulations.
Achille testified as the seventh witness for the prosecution in the ongoing trial of Ali Bello, a relative of the former governor and currently the Chief of Staff to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo. Ali Bello is facing an 18-count charge of money laundering, with allegations that approximately N3 billion belonging to the state was misappropriated.
Also charged in connection with the case are Abba Adaudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, Iyada Sadat, and Rashida Bello. The group is accused of creating and utilizing shell companies and personal accounts to facilitate the transfer of large sums of money suspected to be proceeds of public funds.
During her testimony, Achille explained that several transactions raised red flags due to inconsistencies with the declared income and financial behavior of the account holders. One notable example involved the account of E-Traders, managed by Jamilu Abdulahi, which received deposits of N30 million on two consecutive days in December 2021, followed by deposits of N40 million and another N30 million in early 2022.
“These activities were classified as Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and were duly submitted to the NFIU, as required by law,” Achille stated.
She further disclosed that accounts belonging to entities linked to the co-defendants—including Fazab Business Enterprise and Hyzman Ary Construction Limited—received significant inflows traced back to local government sources. On 29 August 2017, for instance, Ary Construction reportedly received a total of N171 million in deposits, despite having only N10,000 deposited into the same account earlier that day.
The prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Rotimi Oyedepo, presented documentary evidence to support the allegations. The documents reportedly detail complex patterns of financial transactions designed to conceal the origin and destination of public funds.
The trial, which has drawn national attention due to its high-profile nature, continues before Justice Obiora Egwatu. Prosecutors aim to prove that the accused individuals were involved in a deliberate scheme to siphon public money from Kogi State’s treasury through a network of fraudulent accounts and companies.
