By SCM Staff Writer I Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025
ABUJA, Nigeria – A SHOCKING trial in Nigeria has heard explosive evidence detailing how an aide to a former state governor allegedly withdrew over £60 million in massive, repeated cash hauls from government accounts.
Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, is fighting tooth and nail against claims he was involved in a massive ₦110.4 BILLION (£60 million) fraud and money laundering scandal.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dropped the bombshell evidence on Wednesday, linking the ex-governor’s accounts to a terrifying pattern of ‘grab-and-go’ cash withdrawals.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja was rocked by testimony from Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a bank compliance officer, who was led through staggering bank entries.
Under oath, Bata pointed the finger at Bello’s co-defendant, Abdulsalami Hudu, who allegedly acted as the cash-man for the operation between 2016 and 2018.
The court heard that on February 12, 2016, Hudu made 21 separate cash withdrawals on the same day, totalling ₦200 million (£109,000).And it got worse..
£50k A Day
The witness described a relentless pattern that continued for months. On March 10, 2016, Hudu allegedly grabbed another ₦100 million (£54,000).
The first two weeks of June 2016 saw three separate hauls of ₦100 million and ₦119 million – that’s £174,000 in just eight days!
Bata said the staggering pattern was “consistent” across June and July, with inflows of cash from statutory revenue and other firms immediately followed by huge cash-outs.
40 Trips to the Teller
In one unbelievable incident, the court heard that on December 21, 2016, Hudu made 40 cash withdrawals on the SAME DAY!
Later entries revealed even bigger splashes of cash:
May 9, 2017: 29 withdrawals totalling ₦203,240,000 (£111,000).
November 1, 2017: 20 withdrawals totalling a whopping ₦200 million (£109,000).
The bank man revealed that over just four days in January and February 2018, more than ₦1 BILLION (£546,000) was withdrawn in cash.
Governor Bello is being tried alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge in a case that has shocked Nigeria. The trial continues.
