By Inuwa Danladi
The ongoing ₦10.27 billion alleged fraud trial involving Kogi State Chief of Staff, Ali Bello, witnessed dramatic developments on Wednesday as his co-defendant, Dauda Sulaiman, admitted in court that the statements he made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were voluntary.
The admission was made before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama Division, during a trial-within-trial convened to determine whether the defendants’ extra-judicial statements were obtained under duress.
Ali Bello, who serves as Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, and Sulaiman are facing an amended 16-count charge bordering on alleged misappropriation and money laundering amounting to ₦10,270,556,800.00.
Under cross-examination by the prosecution counsel, Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Sulaiman confirmed that all seven statements he made to the EFCC were endorsed by his counsel, Z.E. Abbas.
“Seven times, my lord,” Sulaiman said when asked how many times his lawyer endorsed the statements.
He further read portions of the documents in open court, acknowledging the inscription:
“This statement was taken voluntarily in my presence.”
He also confirmed that the signatures appended to the endorsements belonged to his counsel and that he personally signed the statements after being cautioned.
The cautionary statement read: “You are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so. Whatever you say shall be put down in writing and may be given as evidence.”
Although Sulaiman claimed he could not recall certain details relating to alleged sharing of funds, he admitted under questioning that he was not forced to remember or state the information at the time he made the statements.
Earlier in the proceedings, counsel to the first defendant, E.A. Osayomi, informed the court that the defence would rely on documentary evidence from the Kogi State High Court, including proceedings in Suit No. ACL/097/2022: Ali Bello v. Chairman, EFCC, dated December 12, 2022, and Motion No. 696/2022.
While the second defendant’s counsel did not oppose their admissibility, the prosecution objected, arguing that the scanned and printed copies did not comply with Section 84(2) of the Evidence Act governing electronic evidence.
The prosecution also questioned the timing of the receipt attached to the documents, reportedly generated at 8:46 a.m. on the day of proceedings, raising concerns about how it originated from Lokoja before the court session commenced in Abuja.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho admitted the documents on the grounds of relevance and marked them as Exhibits TWT DW-A and TWT DW-B.
Following the conclusion of the trial-within-trial, counsel to Ali Bello requested 48 hours to file written addresses.
The court is expected to fix a date for the adoption of addresses and deliver a ruling on the admissibility of the contested statements.
The trial continues.
