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Yahaya Bello Vs EFCC: Court Adjourns Ruling and Continuation of Trials to June 26 , 27 and July 4 and 5
You cannot cross examine him based on the document,” Daudu SAN argued. Enitan SAN added that he had the right to draw the attention of the court to some specific paragraphs in the document.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the hearing of the alleged money laundering case instituted against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to June 26, 27 and July 4 and 5 for ruling on the request by the prosecution to “cross-examine” the 3rd witness and for continuation of trial.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the hearing after listening to addresses by the prosecution and defence counsels on the Prosecution’s move to initially cross-examine the witness, a position that was rejected by the Defendant’s Counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN.
When the matter was called for continuation of cross-examination, the Defendant’s counsel asked the witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, whether he had testified in other courts with respect to the issue of school fees paid by the Bello family to AISA, he said yes.
But the witness, an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja, said he could not mention the exact courts.
He admitted testifying in a similar charge involving Ali Bello but added that he never said anything adversely against former Governor Yahaya Bello just as he had not said anything negative or adversely against him in the instant charge.
After Daudu SAN concluded the cross-examination of the witness, Nicholas Ojehomon, the EFCC’s lawyer, Olukayode Enitan, SAN, moved to also cross-examine the Commission’s witness on Exhibit 19.
He told the court that he was not re-examining the EFCC’s witness, but cross-examining him because the document was admitted in evidence.
“I am not re-examining him, I am cross-examining him because they brought this document,” he said.
The Defendant’s lawyer, however, drew the court’s attention to the fact that the prosecution counsel’s position was unknown to law, in line with the Evidence Act.
“If you want to cross-examine your own witness, you have to first declare him a hostile witness. You cannot cross examine him based on the document,” Daudu SAN argued. Enitan SAN added that he had the right to draw the attention of the court to some specific paragraphs in the document.
At this point, the judge asked: “Do you have any provision of the law to support this?””I will draw your lordship attention to Section 36 of the Constitution.
They sought to tender this document, we objected and the court granted their prayer. Fair hearing demands that the complainant too has the right to examine this because Section 36 of the Constitution talks of fair hearing,”
Enitan responded. “We are not saying that they cannot re-examine the witness. That is what Section 36 under the law says about fair hearing. But if it is to cross-examine him, he will have to show us the law that backs that.
“He cannot come under the guise of fair hearing to want to cross-examine the witness,” the Defendant’s lawyer maintained. The judge, at the end of the arguments, refused to allow cross-examination of the witness by the EFCC lawyer.”
Under the procedure, the witness gives evidence in chief and the defendant cross examines, then the prosecution re-examines.
“With due respect, what I will do is if you people are so skewed to continue with this, it is better to address me on this and I will take a position,” he stated.
At this point, the prosecution counsel agreed to re-examine the EFCC’s witness and the judge gave him the go-ahead.”You can re-examine him on that but not to ask questions that will show cross examination,” Justice Nwite said.
However, when the prosecution lawyer proceeded to re-examine the witness, and his questions pointed at cross-examination, as observed by Daudu SAN, the judge insisted that the parties had to address him on the specific issue.
The Defendant’s Counsel, in his address, maintained that the position was unknown to law.
“My lord, the procedure that is being sought by the prosecution by refering the witness to the document tender in Exhibit 19 and by asking him to read paragraph 1, without drawing his attention to the issue on how the document affected his evidence in chief, the question asked in cross-examination, and the ambiguity, which needs clarification, amounts to a strange and unknown procedure not covered by the Evidence Act,” he stated.
Enitan SAN, disagreed, saying that in the case of Amobi Amobi referred to by the defendant’s counsel, the Supreme Court held that the learned trial judge ought to have allowed a re-examination of Exhibit E.
He said when the defendant sought to introduce the document, the prosecution team “submitted that this document was not made by the witness and as such, he should not be allowed to speak to it under cross examination or allowed to be confronted with it.”
“Having brought it in now, during the case of the prosecution, particularly during the cross examination of PW-3, your lordship should not allow them to shut us out as that would amount to the court allowing them to blow hot and cold,” Pinheiro SAN said.
Justice Nwite thereafter adjourned to June 26, 27 and July 4 and 5 for ruling and continuation of trial.
The 3rd prosecution witness had, at the last hearing on Thursday, said there was no wired transfer of fees from the Kogi State Government or any of the local Governments in the state to the account of the American International School, Abuja.
He also read out a part of a previous Federal Capital Territory High Court judgment that said there was no court order for AISA to return fees to EFCC or any judgment declaring the money as proceeds of money laundering.
News
Bayelsa deputy gov Ewhrudjakpo dies at 60
Senator Ewhurudjakpo, 60, an associate of Senator Seriake Dickson, was one of the elected officials, who insisted on remaining in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and refused to defect with Governor Duoye Diri to the All Progressives Congress, APC,
•Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo
Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, is dead,aged 60.
Ewhrudjakpo collapsed yesterday while descending a staircase shortly after a meeting in his office .
He was immediately taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa.
Hospital sources disclosed that he arrived unconscious and was moved to the Emergency Unit before being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and efforts to revive him failed.
His media aide, Doubara Atasi, confirmed the incident but did not provide further details.
Sympathizers stormed the hospital in large numbers after the news broke, forcing security personnel to tighten control around the facility.
Ewhrudjakpo was born on September 5, 1965. He had served as deputy governor since 2020, represented Bayelsa West in the Senate, and previously held the position of Commissioner for Works.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong confirmed the demise of the deputy governor, which it described as inexplicable.
Senator Ewhurudjakpo, 60, an associate of Senator Seriake Dickson, was one of the elected officials, who insisted on remaining in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and refused to defect with Governor Duoye Diri to the All Progressives Congress, APC, recently.
Ewhrudjakpo, once a close political ally of Governor Diri, reportedly fell out with his principal after refusing to follow him in resigning from the PDP on October 15.
News
Dangote Launches N1trn Education Fund to Support 1.3m Students
The Presidency praised Dangote for unveiling what is now the largest private education support programme in Nigeria, describing the initiative as a major boost to the Federal Government’s human capital development agenda.
Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote received a standing ovation on Thursday from the government and stakeholders in the education sector as he launched a N1 trillion education fund to support 1.3 million students across the country’s 774 Local governments.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Dangote said that the N100 billion yearly education support initiative will support 45,000 new students every year from 2026, rising to 155,000 beneficiaries by the fourth year and remaining at that level for ten years.
Dangote described the initiative as a long-term investment aimed at reducing financial barriers that drive millions of young Nigerians out of school.
Dangote notes that “no nation can rise above the quality of education it offers its young people.”
He described education as “the foundation on which every prosperous society is built”, calling it the most powerful equaliser and the strongest engine of social mobility.
” We cannot allow financial hardship to silence the dreams of our young people — not when the future of our nation depends on their skills, resilience and leadership,” Dangote said.
The Presidency praised Dangote for unveiling what is now the largest private education support programme in Nigeria, describing the initiative as a major boost to the Federal Government’s human capital development agenda.
Vice President Kashim Shettima said the intervention demonstrates the critical role of private-sector actors in national development.
He noted that Nigeria’s demographic growth makes urgent investment in education indispensable, warning that “a population becomes a liability only when it is uneducated.”
“Alhaji Aliko Dangote, through his far-reaching philanthropy, has set in motion the single largest private-sector education support intervention in the history of this country,” Shettima said.
“What he has done here today is a lesson to each of us. This is nation-building in its purest form.”
Shettima highlighted ongoing reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), strengthened basic education infrastructure through UBEC, expanded TETFUND interventions and accelerated technical and vocational programmes.
He said these reforms aim to improve Nigeria’s poor Human Capital Index ranking and prepare young people for a skills-driven global economy.
Describing Dangote’s philanthropy as “long-term,” Shettima said the initiative aligns strongly with the government’s priority of expanding equitable access to education.
“No nation surpasses the aspirations of its most committed patriots,” he said.
“The legacy of Alhaji Aliko Dangote reminds us that greatness is not measured by wealth but by the number of lives one lifts from the shadows into the light.
”The Vice President added that the Aliko Dangote Foundation programme will widen opportunities for thousands of learners and bolster the FG’s efforts to build a competitive workforce.
He called for stronger collaboration between the the government, the private sector and development partners to address persistent gaps in the education system.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa described the initiative as “pure human capital development,” saying it aligns with the Tinubu administration’s education sector renewal plan of transforming Nigeria from resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy and is significant because every local government area will benefit.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, spoke on behalf of the 36 state governors.
He also commended the initiative and pledged the governors’ full support.
Chairman of the Programme Steering Committee, His Highness Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, Emir of Lafia, said the scheme is unprecedented and praised Dangote’s patriotism in reinvesting his wealth to uplift other Nigerians.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, said Dangote’s impact in driving private-sector transformation remains unmatched, describing the new initiative as both transformational and a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future.
News
MARKETING EDGE publisher John Ajayi dies at 62
A visionary entrepreneur, Ajayi was widely acknowledged as a pioneer of brand journalism in Nigeria.
• Mr John Ajayi
The Founder and Publisher of Marketing Edge magazine, Mr John Ajayi, has died.
He was 62.
His demise has thrown the brand and marketing communications industry into mourning.
Ajayi was a respected journalist and one of the foremost voices in the nation’s integrated marketing communications space.
He left behind a legacy that profoundly shaped, and will continue to shape, the industry he passionately served.
A visionary entrepreneur, Ajayi was widely acknowledged as a pioneer of brand journalism in Nigeria.
Through MARKETING EDGE, he championed ethical practice, elevated professional standards, and built a respected platform that provided insight, analysis and thought leadership for practitioners and institutions within the sector.
Under his stewardship, the publication grew into an authoritative voice, shaping discourse and spotlighting excellence and innovation across the marketing communications ecosystem.
The MARKETING EDGE family described his demise as a devastating loss to the organisation and the wider industry.
(The Nation)
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