The trial of Yahaya Bello continued on Monday at the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
A prosecution witness told the court how a property in Wuse II, Abuja was sold for ₦650 million.
The witness, James Bem Igbakymeh, appeared as the 11th prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Igbakymeh, a lawyer, said his client asked him to sell the property in October 2021.
The property is located at Plot 1058, Cadastral Zone A08, Wuse II, Abuja.
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According to him, he placed a banner on the property to attract buyers. A man identified as Shehu Bello later contacted him.
“He came to my office to negotiate the purchase of the property,” the witness told the court.
After negotiations, both parties agreed on a price of ₦650 million.
The witness said the buyer paid the money into three accounts provided by his client.
The accounts belonged to SFC Foods Limited and JIT Agric Limited. Both were domiciled in Polaris Bank, while another account was in Heritage Bank.
He added that the payments came through different bureau de change operators.
After receiving payment, the parties completed the transaction and handed over the property documents.
Igbakymeh told the court that investigators later invited him during the probe.
He said he honoured the invitation and submitted relevant documents to the EFCC.
The prosecution tendered the Offer Letter and Deed of Assignment as evidence. Justice Emeka Nwite admitted them as Exhibits 44 and 45.
The witness confirmed that the documents contained his signature and that of his client.
During proceedings, the witness said the Deed of Assignment listed Ali Bello as the assignee.
However, he clarified that Ali Bello and Shehu Bello were not the same person.
He told the court that both men attended negotiation meetings together.
The prosecution later called its 12th witness, Jamilu Abdullahi, a bureau de change operator.
He said he operated three companies and handled foreign exchange transactions.
Abdullahi told the court that one Abba Adaudu regularly sent funds to him for conversion into dollars.
He said the deposits often came in tranches of ₦10 million.
According to him, he converted the funds into dollars and handed the cash to Adaudu.
During the hearing, the witness said he was exhausted due to fasting and asked to continue later.
Justice Nwite adjourned the case until April 22, 23 and 24, 2026, and May 6 and 7, 2026, for continuation of trial.
The EFCC is prosecuting Bello on a 19-count charge. The charges involve alleged money laundering totaling ₦80.2 billion.
