Reporting by The Punch indicates that a prominent prosecution witness has provided shocking details during the financial crimes trial of the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. Testifying before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, the technology and tax-automation consultant disclosed that between 50 and 60 percent of all commissions earned by his private firm were systematically funneled back to corrupt state revenue officials.
The witness, operating as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) 18th prosecution witness, detailed that his company had been contractually engaged by the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) to manage IT and software deployments. Under intense examination, the witness verified that massive sums—including a singular transfer of 261.8 million Naira—were regularly withdrawn and split among key internal stakeholders on verbal directives, entirely bypassing their documented legal consultancy agreements.
The multi-billion Naira fraud trial, which implicates Yahaya Bello alongside several close administrative aides over a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering and breach of trust, has been adjourned until late October 2026 for further cross-examination.
The Guardian detailed the widening judicial dragnet of this fiscal investigation, tracking how the illicit transactions filtered directly through retail banking platforms. As reported by the publication, “the witness told the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, that he paid between 50 and 60 percent of the commissions earned by his company from consultancy services rendered to the Kogi State government.” Furthermore, Vanguard reported on the administrative fallout within Lokoja’s financial corridors, noting that “the defense counsel’s cross-examination failed to invalidate the detailed bank statements and transaction receipts submitted to Justice Maryanne Anineh as active prosecution exhibits.”
Echotitbits take: This revelation severely damages the legacy of Yahaya Bello’s financial administration and underscores the extreme vulnerability of Nigeria’s state-level Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) mechanisms to systemic skimming. By exposing how tax automation contracts are weaponized to generate illicit kickbacks, this trial will likely trigger a sweeping regulatory audit of private IT partnerships across all 36 states. Watch for whether the EFCC moves to freeze the assets of the named “stakeholders” and bank nominees before the trial resumes in October.
Source: Sahara Report – https://saharareporters.com/2026/06/17/alleged-n1104bn-kogi-fraud-witness-tells-court-he-paid-50-60-tax-consultancy-commission, June 17, 2026
Photo credit: BBC
