Key Takeaways
- EFCC witness John Justice testified in Yahaya Bello’s trial that bank CCTV footage showed customers did not physically collect cash recorded as withdrawals.
- Justice said investigators traced funds from Kogi State local governments through three companies to Keyless Nature Limited, which he linked to Abba Adaudu.
- The court adjourned the trial of Bello and two others to November 24, December 2 and December 8, 2026, for continuation.
An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), John Justice, has told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, how investigators traced funds originating from local government areas in Kogi State through three companies to Keyless Nature Limited, which he said was linked to Abba Adaudu.
Naija News understands that the witness, who testified as the 20th prosecution witness (PW20) in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, also told Justice M. E. Anenih that CCTV footage obtained from banks during the investigation reportedly showed that customers were not physically taking cash out of the banks, despite transactions being recorded as cash withdrawals.
Prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), presented the witness as Bello and two others face a 16-count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving 110.4 billion naira.
Defence counsel, J. B. Daudu (SAN), appeared for Bello and the second defendant, Umar Shuaibu Oricha, while counsel to the third defendant, Abdulsalami Hudu, also attended the proceedings.
Justice, who said he had served the EFCC for approximately nine years, told the court that he participated in the investigation as a member of its Procurement Fraud Section.
He said he underwent 14 months of training at the Nigerian Defence Academy and the EFCC Academy, including courses on asset tracing and procurement, money laundering, and advance-fee fraud.
The witness identified members of his investigative team as Emeka Okonjo, Adamu Maa, Hamza Lawal and Dauda Usman.
He added that the team was subsequently merged with the Chairman Monitoring Unit, a committee headed by Adamu Tilde, with Audu Abubakar and Yazid Bawa also joining the investigation.
According to him, the investigation began after the EFCC received intelligence concerning activities involving local governments in Kogi State.
He said three companies—Hayza Business Enterprise, Vifaz Business Enterprise and Fazab Business Enterprise—were mentioned in the intelligence.
Justice testified that subsequent Bank Verification Number (BVN) searches identified Yakubu Adebenege Isia and Iyadi Sadat as individuals associated with the companies.
He explained that Keyless Nature Limited was not initially part of the investigation but came under scrutiny after investigators obtained transaction records from banks, including Access Bank and Zenith Bank.
According to the witness, an instrument examined during the investigation revealed that Keyless Nature Limited had received transfers from the three companies.
He identified Exhibits AT and AU as the statements of account of Keyless Nature Limited, Exhibit AP as the statement of account of Fazab Business Enterprise, and Exhibit AO as the statement of account of Hayma Business Enterprise.
The witness said analysis of the account statements showed that most of the inflows into the companies originated from local government areas in Kogi State.
He further told the court that a BVN search conducted on Keyless Nature Limited returned the name Abba Adaudu.
