A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, that the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue paid over ₦1.16 billion as commission to a tax consultant within eight months in 2019, as the corruption trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, continued.
Testifying on Friday, the EFCC witness, Mr David Ajoda, disclosed that a total sum of ₦1,164,929,569 was paid to the consultant between January and August 2019, shortly after the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) engaged the firm for tax consultancy services.
Ajoda, a Compliance Officer with Sterling Bank, further revealed that within the same period, the consultant withdrew about ₦952.4 million from the account, leaving a balance of ₦212,525,569. According to his testimony, the withdrawals were carried out through multiple transactions allegedly executed by one Phillip Unar.
The witness appeared before Justice Maryann Anenih as part of the EFCC’s prosecution of Yahaya Bello alongside two co-defendants, Umar Shuaib Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, who are standing trial over alleged corruption-related offences.
Led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Professor Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, Ajoda tendered the bank account statements of the tax consultant, which were admitted by the court. He told the court that the withdrawals followed a similar pattern and that the account experienced a sharp increase in credit inflows once the tax consultancy arrangement commenced.
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Ajoda also informed the court that prior to the engagement by the Kogi tax authority, the consultant’s account balance was slightly above ₦2 million, adding that significant inflows only began after the consultancy agreement took effect.
However, under cross-examination by defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, the Sterling Bank official admitted that the name “Kogi State Government” did not appear in any of the transactions linked to the consultant’s bank account.
He further acknowledged that bank accounts belong to customers and that withdrawals are permitted as long as they comply with existing financial regulations. Ajoda confirmed that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) guidelines allow a maximum cash withdrawal of ₦5 million for individuals and ₦10 million for corporate entities per transaction.
According to him, the tax consultant did not breach CBN regulations through the multiple withdrawals, and as such, no suspicious transaction report was filed against the account.
The witness also admitted that neither Yahaya Bello nor his co-defendants featured as beneficiaries of any of the withdrawals from the consultant’s account. He added that the Kogi State Government and the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service are legally distinct entities.
Justice Maryann Anenih thereafter adjourned the matter, fixing February 10 for the continuation of hearing in the high-profile EFCC corruption trial.
