Ex-Gov Yahaya Bello’ s Fund Withdrawals Did Not Breach Banking Regulations, EFCC Witness Tells FCT Court
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness testified before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on Wednesday that no banking regulations were breached during funds withdrawals made by the Kogi State Government House administration under former Governor Yahaya Bello.
The witness, Mrs. Williams Abimbola, a Compliance Officer with United Bank for Africa (UBA), maintained during cross-examination that all withdrawals made by one of the defendants in the money laundering charge were within the maximum limit allowed by law.
“There was no withdrawal that went beyond N10 million in all the transactions presented before the court,” Mrs. Williams said.
Banker Defends UBA’s Actions
Mrs. Williams, who was cross-examined by A. M. Aliu, counsel for defendant Abdulsalami Hudu, confirmed that multiple transactions were made by Hudu in the sum of N10 million each between July 31 and August 6, 2019. However, she specifically stated that UBA acted within the ambit of the law.
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When questioned about the purpose of the withdrawals, Mrs. Williams explained that while the bank requires transaction purposes for high-volume transfers, it does not make such inquiries for cash withdrawals, noting that the bank is not a customer’s internal auditor.
She also confirmed that the customer had a right to withdraw his money as long as the mandate was correct.
Earlier, the witness admitted the narration on a credit entry of N100 million was for the Governor’s security fund. When asked if she could confirm, on oath, that the withdrawn funds were not used for security purposes, she responded, “My Lord, I am not privy to the details of the transaction and cannot categorically answer that question.”
The former Governor’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, informed the court of a pending application challenging its jurisdiction and urged the judge to deal with that issue before continuing with witnesses. Prosecution counsel Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, countered that the application was not yet ripe for hearing.
In a separate development, the EFCC’s fourth subpoenaed witness, Jesutoni Akoni, a Compliance Officer with Ecobank, presented a document that the court discovered was actually addressed to a judge of the Federal High Court. The prosecution admitted the error and withdrew the cover letter.
Justice Maryann Anenih adjourned further hearing in the matter until October 9, 2025.
By PRNigeria
