By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja
A prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. David Ajoda, on Friday told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, that the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) paid a total of N1,164,929,569 as commission to a tax consultant within eight months.
Ajoda said the payments were made between January and August 2019, following the engagement of the consultant by the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue.
Testifying in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, alongside Umar Shuaib Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, the witness disclosed that N952.4 million was withdrawn from the consultant’s account with Sterling Bank within the same period, leaving a balance of N212,525,569.
According to him, the withdrawals were carried out in multiple tranches by one Phillip Unar.
Ajoda, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank, appeared as a witness for the EFCC and was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN. He tendered the bank account statements of the tax consultant, which were admitted in evidence by the court.
The witness noted that the withdrawals followed a consistent pattern and that prior to the consultant’s engagement by KSIRS, the account balance stood at slightly over N2 million. He added that credit inflows into the account increased significantly once the tax consultancy arrangement commenced.
However, Ajoda admitted under examination that he had no knowledge of the specific details or terms of the tax consultancy agreement between KSIRS and the consultant.
Under cross-examination by Joseph Daudu, SAN, counsel to Bello and Oricha, the witness acknowledged that the name “Kogi State Government” did not appear in the bank transactions. He further agreed that the account belonged solely to the customer, who was entitled to make withdrawals provided they complied with applicable laws.
Ajoda also confirmed that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulations permit a maximum cash withdrawal of N5 million for individuals and N10 million for corporate entities per transaction. He stated that the consultant’s withdrawals did not breach these limits and, as such, no suspicious transaction report was filed against the account.
He further admitted that neither Yahaya Bello nor his co-defendants featured as beneficiaries of any of the withdrawals. The witness also clarified that the Kogi State Government and the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service are distinct and separate entities.
Meanwhile, the presiding judge, Justice Maryann Anenih, has adjourned further hearing in the matter until February 10.
