A prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr David Ajoda, has told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, that the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) paid a total of ₦1,164,929,569 as commission to a tax consultant within eight months.
Ajoda disclosed that the payments were made between January and August 2019, shortly after KSIRS engaged the tax consultant.
Testifying on Friday in the ongoing trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, alongside Umar Shuaib Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, Ajoda further revealed that the consultant subsequently withdrew ₦952.4 million from the account within the same period, leaving a balance of ₦212,525,569.
According to the witness, the multiple withdrawals were carried out by one Phillip Unar.
Ajoda, a Compliance Officer with Sterling Bank, appeared as a witness for the EFCC before Justice Maryann Anenih, and was led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN.
While tendering the tax consultant’s bank account statements, which were admitted by the court, the witness stated that the withdrawals followed a consistent pattern. He added that before the engagement by KSIRS, the consultant’s account balance stood at just over ₦2 million, noting that inflows increased significantly once the consultancy arrangement commenced.
However, Ajoda admitted under examination that he was not privy to the details of the tax consultancy agreement between the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service and the consultant.
Under cross-examination by Joseph Daudu, SAN, counsel to Yahaya Bello and Umar Shuaib Oricha, the witness conceded that the name “Kogi State Government” did not appear in any of the bank transactions linked to the account.
He also acknowledged that the bank account belonged solely to the customer and that withdrawals could be made freely, provided they complied with existing banking regulations.
Ajoda further confirmed that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulations permit a maximum cash withdrawal of ₦5 million for individuals and ₦10 million for corporate entities per transaction, adding that the tax consultant’s withdrawals did not breach these limits.
“As a result, no suspicious transaction report was filed against the tax consultant,” he said.
The banker also admitted that neither Yahaya Bello nor his co-defendants appeared as beneficiaries of any of the withdrawals reflected in the bank statements.
He further clarified that the Kogi State Government and Kogi State Internal Revenue Service are distinct entities, stressing that the two operate separately.
Meanwhile, Justice Maryann Anenih adjourned further hearing in the matter until February 10.
