The Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has adjourned to March 9, to rule on the admissibility of a Deed of Assignment and an Irrevocable Power of Attorney tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello.
According to a statement signed on Wednesday by Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s Head of Media & Publicity, Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the date after hearing extensive arguments from both the prosecution and defence regarding the documents, which relate to the alleged sale of Plot 1160, Cadastral Zone, Gwarimpa 2, Abuja, purportedly sold for ₦100 million.
Bello faces a 19-count charge of money laundering involving ₦80.2 billion.
The prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro SAN, sought to tender the documents through PW10, Mahmoud Abdulaziz, Chief Accountant of Dantata & Sawoe Construction Limited.
Abdulaziz testified that the company sold the 8,240.72 square metre property to Azba Real Estate Limited for ₦100 million, paid in tranches of ₦70 million on February 17, ₦10 million on February 19, and ₦20 million on February 22, 2021, via electronic transfers to the company’s Keystone Bank account.
He further stated that the Deed of Assignment was executed between Dantata & Sawoe and Azba Real Estate, signed by Mubarak Dantata, Nasiru Dantata, and Ali Bello, while an Irrevocable Power of Attorney was executed between Mubarak Dantata and Ali Bello.
These documents were subsequently submitted to the EFCC during its investigation.
Defence counsel, J.B. Daudu SAN, objected to the documents’ admissibility, arguing that they were registrable instruments relating to land title and should have been certified true copies (CTC) from the appropriate land registry.
He contended that the EFCC was not the custodian of land documents, citing Section 114 of the Evidence Act, and maintained that the documents were therefore inadmissible.
Responding, Pinheiro argued that the documents were being tendered not to prove land ownership but to support oral evidence regarding the flow of funds, stressing that criminal prosecution for money laundering differs from civil disputes over land title.
He cited precedent from Audu v. FRN (2025) 5 NWLR (Pt. 1984) 61 to support the argument that private documents submitted to public officers during investigations may become public and certifiable.
The court also heard updates on a pending defence application seeking to vacate a previous order granting Bello permission to travel for lesser Hajj. Both parties confirmed ongoing discussions and requested time to report on the outcome at the next sitting.
Other witnesses testified regarding multiple bank inflows connected to the alleged transactions. PW8, an FCMB official, confirmed a ₦100 million inflow from Keyless Nature Limited but could not establish its purpose.
PW9, Oluwafemi Victoria, a compliance officer with Polaris Bank, verified several credit entries totaling over ₦400 million into accounts linked to JIT Limited and SSP Foods Limited but said she had no knowledge of the underlying business relationships.
The trial is scheduled to continue on March 9, 2026.