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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.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has released the identities of the people who died in the crash involving an NAF ATR 42 aircraft in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State, on Monday.
The aircraft, NAF 931, was carrying five crew members and 20 passengers when it crashed during a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
In a statement, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, NAF spokesperson, said no survivor had been found following the accident, which prompted the immediate activation of search-and-rescue operations in coordination with relevant authorities.
Those killed include five crew members: Squadron Leader MI Aburime, the flight captain; Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje, co-pilot; Flight Lieutenant IS Bako, co-pilot; Warrant Officer Abubakar A, aircraft technician; and Corporal Uguru HC, aircraft technician.
The 20 passengers were identified as Flight Lieutenant TL Lazarus; Flight Lieutenant M Akinloye; Flying Officer IM Adeshina; Master Warrant Officer Onwuka F; Master Warrant Officer Matini BA; Warrant Officer Nuhu FS; Flight Sergeant James RB; Flight Sergeant Mohammed AI; Sergeant Ani AE; Sergeant Izibenikien SI; Sergeant Alafuka C; Sergeant Mbadugha AN; Lance Corporal Ugwuba FC; Lance Corporal Eledan GE; Mrs Ezeh Nneka; Godstmine Tarabina; Joy Micheal; Sunday Micheal; Ukeme David; and Gideon Omotola.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, expressed profound condolences to the families, loved ones and colleagues of those who lost their lives in the crash.
Aneke described the incident as a deeply painful moment for the Nigerian Air Force and the country, while assuring the bereaved families of the Service’s full support during the difficult period.
A Nigerian military aircraft, ATR-42 carrying 32 people has crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo said the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, was flying from Benin to Lagos when contact was lost at about 9:13 a.m.
The wreckage has been located, and search and rescue operations are underway.
Preliminary information indicates there were 25 passengers and seven crew members on board.
Keyamo said he has spoken with the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and pledged the ministry’s full support for the rescue effort.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has activated an immediate Search and Rescue operation following an ATR-42 aircraft accident in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on 5 October 2026.
The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred. Search and Rescue operations, in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies, are currently ongoing.
Ehimen Ejodame, Air Commodore, Director of Public Relations and Information Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force, said NAF is committed to ensuring the success of the ongoing Search and Rescue efforts. Further details will be communicated in due course.
News
NGE Tasks Newsrooms, INEC on Must-Do Measures for Credible 2027 Polls
The Guild warned that synthetic content could be produced and distributed rapidly, including fabricated election results, cloned voices of public officials, forged documents, manipulated result sheets and fake reports attributed to established media organisations.
• [File photo] L-R Prof Pat Utomi; Prof Chinyere Okunna and Eze Anaba President Nigerian Guild of Editors at the 22nd All Nigerian Editors Conference in Enugu. Photo. Nwankpa Chijioke.
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has tasked news organisations and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with implementing far-reaching reforms to strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The Guild, in a communiqué issued at the end of the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC 2026) in Enugu, called on newsrooms to institutionalise fact-checking and verification systems and integrate digital verification, deepfake detection and forensic tools into their editorial workflows.
The communiqué, signed by NGE President, Eze Anaba, and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, also called for electoral reforms, including the introduction of a 50 per cent threshold for presidential elections and the resolution of electoral disputes before the swearing-in of declared winners.
The Guild urged all news organisations to adopt the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage (Revised 2022) and train journalists and other editorial staff on its provisions ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Code was jointly endorsed by the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NGE, Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union, and Guild of Corporate Online Publishers.
According to the Guild, the media has a critical responsibility to provide accurate, verified and independent information to the electorate while holding governments, political parties and other centres of power to account.
The NGE identified generative artificial intelligence, deepfakes, voice cloning and automated networks as major emerging threats to the integrity of electoral information.
The Guild warned that synthetic content could be produced and distributed rapidly, including fabricated election results, cloned voices of public officials, forged documents, manipulated result sheets and fake reports attributed to established media organisations.
The editors said the greatest danger was not merely the circulation of individual falsehoods but the broader erosion of public trust when citizens became unable to distinguish authentic information from fabricated content.
The conference, with the theme, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” was chaired by the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, while the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, delivered the keynote address.
Vice President Kashim Shettima participated virtually as Special Guest of Honour, while Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, served as Chief Host.
More than 500 editors, publishers and senior media practitioners from print, broadcast and digital platforms, alongside political, traditional, religious, academic, regulatory and development-sector leaders, attended the conference.
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