By Yemi Oyeyemi
A witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday told a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory that no banking regulation was breached in the withdrawal of funds by the Kogi State Government House during the tenure of former Governor Yahaya Bello.
Mrs. Williams Abimbola, a Compliance Officer with United Bank for Africa (UBA), testified that all transactions carried out by one of the defendants in the ongoing money laundering case were within legal banking limits.
Under cross-examination by A.M. Aliyu, counsel to the third defendant, Abdulsalami Hudu, the witness stated that none of the withdrawals exceeded the ₦10 million threshold stipulated by law. She emphasized that UBA complied fully with banking regulations during the transactions.
Abimbola, who had previously testified in a similar matter before the Federal High Court in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/98/2024 involving the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Yahaya Adoza Bello, confirmed that she was not the account or relationship manager for the Kogi Government House account, which was domiciled in Lokoja. Nonetheless, she asserted that all transactions conformed to laid-down banking procedures.
The witness, who is stationed at UBA’s Area 3 branch in Abuja, confirmed she had reported for duty that morning at the bank’s Adetokunbo Ademola branch in Wuse 2, Abuja. She clarified that compliance officers are assigned duties across branches as needed.
When asked by Yahaya Bello’s counsel, Chief Joseph Daudu (SAN), whether her role involved protecting the bank from legal penalties and reputational risks, she replied in the affirmative.
She also confirmed a series of withdrawals of ₦10 million each made by Abdulsalami Hudu between July 31 and August 6, 2019. However, she told the court that she was not in a position to know the purpose of the withdrawals, noting that banks typically inquire about transaction purposes during transfers, not cash withdrawals.
The witness further mentioned a series of transfers made in tranches by one Bello Abdullateef on July 5, 2019, but maintained that none of these breached banking regulations.
“All transactions presented before the court were within the ₦10 million limit,” she reiterated.
Abimbola, who has served at UBA for 19 years, told the court that any customer can withdraw funds as long as the proper mandate is followed. She also listed the authorized signatories to the Kogi Government House account as of 2004, including Christopher Enefola (Permanent Secretary), Onekutu Daniel (Chief Accountant), and Hudu Abdulsalami (Accountant).
She cited a letter dated September 2008 bearing signatures of Elder P.S. Ocheni, Abbas Ibrahim Abubakar (Chief Accountant), and Abdulsalami Hudu (Senior Accountant) as evidence of authorization.
During further cross-examination, Aliyu presented a bank statement from May 27, 2019, showing a credit entry labeled “Governor’s Security Fund” amounting to ₦100 million in two tranches of ₦50 million each.
When asked whether the funds were used for security purposes, the witness responded:
“My Lord, I am not privy to the details of the transaction and cannot categorically answer that question.”
She also confirmed that she had never met the second defendant, Umar Oricha, nor had any dealings with former Governor Yahaya Bello.
Earlier, Daudu (SAN) informed the court of a pending application challenging the court’s jurisdiction and urged the court to hear the motion before proceeding with further witness testimonies.
“We respectfully urge Your Lordship to give us a date to address the jurisdiction issue and avoid wasting time,” he submitted.
EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), opposed the application, arguing it was not ripe for hearing. The court ruled that the motion would be addressed on November 12, the next adjourned date.
Also on Wednesday, the EFCC presented its fourth subpoenaed witness, Jesutoni Akoni, a Compliance Officer with Ecobank. Akoni confirmed the submission of a 13-page document, which was objected to by the defence for not complying with the Evidence Act.
It was later discovered that the document was addressed to Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court. The prosecution subsequently withdrew the accompanying cover letter.
Under cross-examination, Akoni admitted that Hudu Abdulsalami’s name did not appear as a signatory on the Ecobank account in question and that he was unfamiliar with the listed signatories.
Justice Maryann Anenih adjourned the matter until October 9, 2025, for continuation of trial.
