Three witnesses of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) have admitted massive withdrawals from Kogi State Government House Administration bank accounts but however revealed that a former governor of the state, Yahaya Bello was never a beneficiary of the withdrawals.
The witnesses, Mshelia Arhyel Bata of Zenith bank, Mohammed Hassan of Keystone bank and Gabriel Oche of the First City Monument Bank testified on Thursday for the anti-graft agency in the trial of Yahaya Bello and two others for alleged corruption.
They tendered series of documents from their respective banks at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, detailing series of withdrawals from Kogi state Government House Administration bank accounts.
Though their documents maintaining 
accounts opening packages and statements of accounts were admitted as exhibits, the witnesses upon perusing the account statements said at no where did Yahaya Bello’s name appeared.
Specifically, they admitted that Yahaya Bello’s name never featured on the documents either as signatory to the accounts or beneficiary of the withdrawals.
Mshelia Arhyel Bata of Zenith bank during continuation of cross examination by Joseph Daudu SAN for Yahaya Bello said that he had gone through the documents and could not find the name of the former governor as the beneficiary.
He also explained that he could not see the purpose of the withdrawals from the documents adding that the pattern of the withdrawals was consistent.
He named Chris Enefola, a former Permanent Secretary, Onekutu Daniel, a Chief Accountant and Abdulsalami Hudu, an Accountant as signatories to the accounts.
Another witness, Mohammed Hassan from Marketing Department of Keystone bank testified in respect of Dantata and Sawoe accounts adding that he was not account officer or relationship manager to the account and would not know anything about the operations of the account.
In his own, Gabriel Oche of the FCMB admitted that several payments were made to the American International School in Abuja through an account belonging to Kunfayakun Global Limited but has no direct inter personal relationship with any of the signatories to the account.
He testified that from the documents of his bank, names of Yahaya Bello and those of the two others standing trial with him featured or appeared in all the transactions.
At Thursday’s proceedings, Kemi Pinheiro SAN stood for EFCC, Joseph Daudu SAN for Yahaya Bello and Umar Shuaib Oricha while Z. E Abbass represents Abdulsalami Hudu.
Meanwhile Justice Maryann Anenih has adjourned the case to January 16.
