The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, took another turn on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, as Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, admitted into evidence a judgment from the same court.
Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving ₦110.4 billion.
At the resumed hearing, prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, told the court he was concluding the examination-in-chief of prosecution witness Nicholas Okehone, an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja. “My lord, on the last adjourned date, I was examining PW14, and I was about to round up. The witness is here; I can finish so that we can take cross-examination,” he said.
Okehone confirmed knowledge of a suit filed by Ali Bello against the school and identified the Certified True Copy of the judgment in Suit No. FCT/ST/CB/6574/2023, along with a payment receipt. Defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, and Z.E. Abbas did not object, and Justice Anineh admitted the documents as Exhibits AY and AY2.
The witness clarified that while Ali Bello was the claimant in the suit, Yahaya Bello was recorded as the father of four children whose school fees were paid upfront. “From our record, Yahaya Adoza Bello is the father of the four children,” he said, adding that “the sum of $569,864.12 was paid into the account of the school domiciled in TD Bank.”
Under cross-examination, Okehone confirmed the school is located in Durumi District, Abuja, and that his role as auditor did not involve direct dealings with students or representing the school in court.
Following his discharge, the prosecution moved an application dated October 7, 2025, seeking to suspend the hearing of Bello’s motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction. Pinheiro argued that under Sections 111, 221 and 396(2) and (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), criminal trials should not be interrupted by interlocutory objections. “Whatever issues you have, incorporate it into your final address so it forms part of the issues your lordship will deal with before judgment,” he said.
Defence counsel Daudu countered with a nine-paragraph affidavit, citing Shema vs FRN (2019), but Pinheiro dismissed the relevance of that authority. “Shema is irrelevant. It does not deal with Section 396 of the ACJA… and it predates the avalanche of decisions both at the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal that I have cited,” he argued.
Justice Anineh adjourned the matter until May 8, 2026, for ruling and continuation of the trial.
