Korede Abdullah in Lagos
A Bureau de Change operator, Jamilu Abdullahi, testified in the trial of Ali Bello, cousin to former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Abdullahi revealed that agents of the Kogi State Government brought funds to his office for the payment of Yahaya Bello’s daughters’ school fees.
In a cross-examination by Ali Bello’s counsel, A.M. Aliyu SAN, Abdullahi affirmed that a dollar equivalent in cash was exchanged for each tranche. “I made it clear that it was cash that was brought to my office for payment of the school fees,” he said,
However, an attempt by the defense to submit a WhatsApp conversation between Abdullahi and co-defendant Abba Adaudu as evidence was objected to by the prosecution.
The trial was adjourned until November 6, 2024, to allow the defense to provide the prosecution with the WhatsApp chat.
Ali Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside three others on 18 counts of money laundering and misappropriation totaling over N3 billion.
