The Corruption Trackers Initiative

16/01/2026

Undeclared Cash : Supreme Court Affirms Forfeiture of $40,000 to Federal Government by Aminu Sule Lamido



The Supreme Court on Friday, January 16, 2026 upheld the judgments of the Federal High Court, Kano and that of the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division which convicted and respectively held that Aminu Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido should forfeit the sum of $40,000 (Forty Thousand Dollars) undeclared at the Aminu Kano International Airport en route to Egypt.

Lamido was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on December 11, 2012 on his way to Cairo, Egypt, having on him the sum of $50, 000 (Fifty Thousand Dollars), which he falsely declared to officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS to be just $10,000 (Ten Thousand Dollars).

He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Fatun O. Riman of the Federal High Court, Kano on February 4, 2013 on one-count charge, bordering on money laundering and false declaration of foreign exchange.

The charge reads: “That you Aminu Sule Lamido, on or about the 11th day of December 2012, at the Aminu Kano International Airport, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, while transporting in cash, the sum of $50, 000 (Fifty Thousand United States Dollars, only), from Nigeria to Cairo, Egypt, falsely declared to Nigeria Customs Service, NCS the sum of $10,000 (Ten Thousand United States Dollars, only), instead of the said sum of $50, 000, the sum of (Fifty Thousand United States Dollars, only) as required under Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act Cap F31 of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Section 2 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 2 (5) Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011.”

He pleaded “not guilty” but was found guilty as charged and convicted of the crime on July 12, 2013, with Justice Riman, ordering the forfeiture of the sum to the federal government.

Dissatisfied, he went on appeal on January 5, 2016 at the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, presided over by Justices Isaiah Olufemi Akeju, Habeeb Adewale O. Abiru and Oludotun O. Adefope-Okojie. He lost his appeal with the court in the judgment read by Justice Abiru, upholding his conviction and forfeiture of the sum by the Kano Federal High Court.

Lamido proceeded to the Supreme Court in a suit marked, SC201/2016. In its judgment on Friday, January 16, 2026, the apex court, while resolving the grounds of appeal in favour of the EFCC, upheld the judgments of both the trial and the appellate court, bringing the matter to a close and setting a judicial precedence in favour of the anti-graft agency in matters of false declaration of funds by air travelers in Nigerian airports.

16/01/2026

Alleged ₦110.4bn Kogi Fraud: EFCC Tenders More Bank Records in Trial of Yahaya Bello



The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello before Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja continued on Thursday, January 15, 2026 with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC tendering more bank records as evidence.

The EFCC is prosecuting Bello, alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of 1N10.4 billion.

At the resumed trial on Thursday, the prosecution team, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed the court that the case was slated for further cross-examination of Prosecution Witness Six (PW6), Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, who was present in court.

Cross-examining the witness, counsel to the first and second defendant J.B Daudu SAN requested for Exhibit S1 and asked the witness to clarify his earlier testimony that the statement of account had eight columns. “At the beginning of your testimony, you said there are eight columns in the statement of account. By ‘description,’ what do you mean?” Daudu asked.

Responding, the witness said, “It is the description of the transaction, my Lord. ”Referring to page three of Exhibit S1, the witness explained that the first column showed an entry dated January 20, 2016, with the description: “Cq 158 Abdulsalami Hudu for ₦10,000,000.”

He further pointed out another entry which read: “ZB chq 155 paid Halims Hotels and Tours, Lokoja, ₦2,454,400, my Lord.”

When asked if he knew the purpose for which the ₦10 million collected by Abdulsalami Hudu or the amount paid to Halims Hotels and Tours was used, the witness replied, “I won’t know the purpose the ₦10,000,000 collected by Hudu and equally that of Halims Hotels, how it was spent and for which purpose.

Daudu then requested for Exhibit X1 and asked the witness to confirm whether his attention had been drawn to certain entries in the account.

The witness replied that it was the account opening document of a company with account number 1014878995, domiciled at the Lokoja branch of Zenith Bank.

Daudu further asked the witness to confirm whether there were 21 transactions between March 10 and March 12, 2016. The witness, however, responded that the entries he started with were from November 14, 2016. Directing the witness to December 6, 2016, Daudu asked him to read the entries. The witness stated that the first entry was a transfer from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, a credit of ₦74,378,483.20.

“The second entry on December 6, 2016 is a cheque paid to Mohammed Jami’u Sallau in the sum of ₦10,000,000, my Lord,” the witness said.

When asked whether the column stated the purpose of the payment, the witness answered, “No, my Lord. Sorry, my Lord, looking at the narration, I would not decide the reason for the payment.”

He added that the same applied to another credit entry of ₦10,000,000 in favour of Mohammed Jami’u Sallau.



Z.B. Abbas then cross-examined the witness on behalf of A.M. Aliyu, SAN, counsel to the 3rd defendant.

Abbas asked whether all withdrawals made by the 3rd defendant were by cheque. The witness answered, “Yes, my Lord, they were cheque withdrawals. He further confirmed that the cheques were duly signed by the authorised signatories. Abbas also asked if Exhibit X1 was the statement of account of the Government House account, to which the witness responded in the affirmative.

On Exhibit X2, Abbas asked whether the 3rd defendant had been introduced to the bank as a civil servant and accountant. The witness answered, “Yes, my Lord, he is an accountant.”

Abbas then suggested that the 3rd defendant was merely carrying out his duty as an accountant. This drew an objection from prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, who argued that the witness was not a civil servant working for the Kogi State Government and therefore could not testify to that fact.

Justice Anineh sustained the objection.

When asked about the signatories to the account, the witness listed three individuals: Chris Onyepola, Permanent Secretary; Onyechukwu Daniel L., Chief Accountant; and Abdulsalami Hudu, Accountant.

“These three individuals are the signatories to the account,” the witness confirmed.

Pressed further on transactions dated February 19, 2016, the witness stated that there was an inflow from UBA for a Police Reform Programme or payment of security fund amounting to ₦10,000,000 per tranche, made in six tranches, totalling ₦60,000,000.He further explained that on May 3, 2016, there was an inflow with the narration “payment of sec/fund” dated February 24, 2016, amounting to ₦50,000,000, followed by another transfer for payment of “sec fund” in the same amount.

The witness confirmed that after these inflows, the 3rd defendant made withdrawals. He also testified that on September 14, 2016, there were two inflows of ₦50,000,000 each, totalling ₦100,000,000, and that the 3rd defendant made a withdrawal the following day.

On September 20, 2016, he said there were two tranches of ₦10,000,000 and ₦15,000,000 described as “His Excellency Special Sec Vote.”

Similarly, on September 22, 2016, there was an inflow of ₦50,000,000 followed by a withdrawal by the 3rd defendant. Asked to confirm whether Exhibit X1 originated from Zenith Bank, the witness replied, “It came from our bank.”

He added that while abbreviations are standard in banking, he did not know the meaning of “sec” as it was not a term used by their bank.

On August 9, 2016, the witness confirmed there was an inflow of ₦50,000,000, after which the 3rd defendant made withdrawals. He also stated that on August 18, 2016, six withdrawals were made by one Umar Comfort, and that another withdrawal by the same individual occurred on August 23, 2016. When asked whether the first defendant was the only person operating the Government House account, the witness answered, “No.” Following the conclusion of the cross-examination, Pinheiro said the prosecution had no re-examination and applied that the witness be discharged. He also informed the court that the prosecution had a short witness from Keystone Bank to be called as Prosecution Witness Seven (PW7).PW7, Mohammed Bello Hassan, was thereafter sworn in. Led in evidence by Kayode Enitan, SAN, the witness identified himself as an executive trainee with Keystone Bank. He told the court he appeared pursuant to a subpoena.

The prosecution tendered the subpoena, certificate of identification, and the statement of account of Dantata and Sawoe Construction covering January 1 to December 31, 2021. Counsel to the 3rd defendant objected, stating that reasons would be given later.

The documents were admitted in evidence and marked accordingly.

Referring to Exhibit Z1, Enitan asked the witness to confirm whether the statement had columns and narrations. The witness said it had seven columns. Drawing his attention to page two, the witness confirmed that on February 17, 2021, there were several credit entries of ₦10,000,000 each. He further confirmed that entries on February 18, 21 and 22, 2021, were also credits of ₦10,000,000 each.

Explaining the narrations, the witness said that on February 17, 2021, Maigari Murtala transferred ₦10,000,000 in six tranches, totaling ₦60,000,000.

He added that Yusuf Mubarak transferred ₦10,000,000 on February 17, another ₦10,000,000 on February 21, and ₦10,000,000 on February 22. “In total, there were nine transfers of ₦10,000,000 each by Maigari Murtala and one transfer of ₦10,000,000 by Yusuf Mubarak, making ₦100,000,000,” the witness confirmed.

Under cross-examination by J.B. Daudu, SAN, the witness said he had been an executive trainee for two years and worked in the marketing department. He admitted that he was not the account officer of Dantata and Sawoe and that he was sent by the bank to comply with the subpoena. He also said he did not personally know Maigari Murtala or Yusuf Mubarak.

Under further cross-examination by counsel to the 3rd defendant Aliyu, the witness stated that he had never encountered the name Abdulmumini Hudu, did not know when the account was opened, and was unaware of the account signatories.

With no re-examination, PW7 was discharged. Enitan then called Prosecution Witness Eight (PW8), Gabriel Ocha, a compliance officer with FCMB, No.4, Gwani Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja. He also appeared under subpoena, bringing along a certificate of compliance and other documents covering the period from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2024, in respect of Kunfayakun Global Limited.

Counsel to the 3rd defendant objected to the admissibility of the documents, reserving reasons for later. Nevertheless, the court admitted them and marked them as Exhibits AA (subpoena), AB1 (certificate of identification) and AB2 (account opening package).

Led by Enitan, the witness explained that the statement of account had seven columns, representing date, reference, description, value date, deposit, withdrawal and balance. Referring to page seven of the statement, the witness read an entry dated November 1, 2021, showing a debit of ₦30,000,000 from Kunfayakun Global Limited in favour of the American International School for Abdul Bashir.

He further testified that on November 1, 2021, there were three web transfers of ₦10,000,000 each, credited from Haruna Gana and Haruna Gaddafi, totalling ₦30,000,000.

He also confirmed a NIBSS transfer on the same date from Behamas Global Ventures in the sum of ₦25,959,000.

On November 2, 2021, the witness said there were transfers of ₦10,000,000, ₦10,000,000 and over ₦8,000,000 to Zadakkayak Global.

After cross-examination by counsel to the defendants, the prosecution called Prosecution Witness Nine (PW9), A.D. Ojoma, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank. He also appeared under subpoena with a certificate of compliance and the statement of account of Bespoke Business Solutions Limited.

While counsel to the 1st and 2nd defendants did not object to the admissibility of the documents, counsel to the 3rd defendant objected, reserving reasons for later.

Led in evidence by Pinheiro, the witness identified several credit entries, including a transaction of over ₦57 million on March 5, 2019.

On April 3, 2019, he identified a credit entry described as “NAFFS Kogi State payment commission for March 2019,” from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, amounting to ₦138,492,215.91.

He also identified another credit entry on May 3, 2019, described as “NAFFS Kogi State 2019,” from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, in the sum of ₦136,809,102.70.

On August 6, 2019, the witness said there was a credit entry from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service for payment of contractors amounting to ₦183,645,647.31. He further testified that on August 15, 2019, there was a credit entry of ₦242,250,000 for the purchase of OBPEH.

Justice Maryanne Anineh thereafter adjourned the matter till Friday, January 16, 2026, for continuation of trial.

16/01/2026

Alleged ₦110.4bn Kogi Fraud: Witness Narrates How Kogi State Internal Revenue Service Paid Over ₦1bn as Commission to Philip Kumar

The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, continued on Friday, January 16, 2026, before Justice Maryanne Anineh of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with a prosecution witness narrating how the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, KIRS, allegedly paid over ₦1.16 billion as “commission” into a Sterling Bank account belonging to one Philip Kumar within eight months in 2019.

The witness, Prosecution Witness 9 (PW9), David Ajoma, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank, told the court that the payments, which spanned from January to August 2019, were followed by consistent and heavy cash withdrawals, a pattern he described as unusual based on banking standards.

Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on a 16-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of an alleged ₦110.4 billion.

At the resumed proceedings on Friday, lead prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed the court that the matter was for the continuation of evidence by PW9, who appeared pursuant to a subpoena. The witness was then led in evidence by Pinheiro.

Pinheiro referred the witness to Exhibit AD1, a statement of account earlier admitted in evidence, and drew his attention to transactions between March and August 2019. PW9 confirmed the transactions and, upon being asked to summarise inflows within that period, stated that a total of ₦963,803,717.38 was paid into the account from the Kogi State treasury.

When asked about withdrawals from the same account, the witness told the court that ₦835,904,000 was withdrawn in cash within the period under review.

Continuing, Pinheiro directed the witness to earlier entries on the statement of account, specifically inflows in January and February 2019. PW9 identified inflows of ₦99,593,761.81 on January 8, 2019, and ₦101,533,384.94 on February 7, 2019, both with narrations indicating Kogi State Internal Revenue Service.

Asked to do a cumulative summary of all payments made as “commission” from January to August 2019, the witness said: “From the exhibit, Kogi State Internal Revenue Service paid a total of ₦1,164,959,568.13 as commission within eight months in 2019.”
On total cash withdrawals between January and August 2019, PW9 told the court that ₦953,404,000 was withdrawn in cash.

Pinheiro further asked whether there was a consistent pattern of cash withdrawals on the account, to which the witness replied in the affirmative. He was also asked whether the withdrawals usually occurred shortly after inflows from Kogi State Government-related accounts.
“Yes, my Lord,” the witness answered.

The prosecution then asked PW9 to state the balance on the account as of December 31, 2018. He responded that the balance stood at ₦212,264.29.

Asked, as a banker, to give his professional opinion on the pattern of withdrawals, PW9 said: “As a banker, there is a consistent pattern of withdrawals.”

At this point, counsel to the 1st and 2nd defendants, J.B. Daudu, SAN, raised an objection, which Justice Anineh overruled.

The prosecution pressed further, asking the witness whether he was familiar with suspicious transactions in banking practice. PW9 answered in the affirmative. He was also asked to explain the concept of a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) and relate it to the evidence before the court.
PW9 explained: “A suspicious transaction report is filed when a customer’s transaction pattern is not consistent with the nature of the customer’s business or previous transactions. In other words, it is filed for individuals who carry out cash transactions exceeding ₦5 million and ₦10 million for corporate entities, in line with CBN regulations.”

Asked about his findings from the statement of account, the witness said he observed “multiple cash withdrawals, with the maximum single withdrawal being ₦10 million.”

However, when asked whether Sterling Bank filed any STR in respect of the account, PW9 said he did not have that information readily available.

Pinheiro then directed the witness to examine the statement of account between July and December 2018, prior to the alleged commission inflows. PW9 confirmed that there were no inflows into the account between July and December 2018.

He also confirmed that during that period, cash withdrawals were minimal. According to him, withdrawals included ₦700,000 in July, ₦500,000 on July 4, ₦500,000 on July 12, ₦150,000 on August 17, ₦200,000 on September 13, and ₦1,000,000 on December 10, 2018.

When asked whether there was any withdrawal above ₦1 million within six months prior to the inflows from Kogi State Government accounts, the witness replied: “No, as seen from the statement of account.”

Pinheiro further asked whether the pattern of withdrawals between July and December 2018 was the same as that between January and August 2019.
“No, it was not the same,” the witness responded.

Explaining the earlier period, PW9 said withdrawals before January 2019 were largely online transfers, unlike the heavy cash withdrawals recorded in 2019.

Under cross-examination by J.B. Daudu, SAN, PW9 told the court that he had been with Sterling Bank for three years and was serving as a compliance officer, having joined the bank as an experienced hire.

Asked whether he had the account opening package for the account in question, the witness said he did not. He admitted that without the account opening documents, he could not identify the signatories, directors, or the nature of the business associated with the account.

He also agreed that he could not determine whether the business was seasonal or whether the transaction pattern was consistent with the customer’s line of business. He confirmed that his testimony was limited strictly to the contents of Exhibit AD1.

Daudu further asked him to confirm the narration of the inflows identified as coming from Kogi State Government or KIRS. PW9 said the narrations indicated “Kogi State transfer” and “KIRS transfer,” but added: “I do not know what it means.”

On February 2, 2019, the witness said the narration read “commission for January 2019 – Kogi State Internal Revenue Service.” He admitted he did not know the difference between Kogi State Government and Kogi State Internal Revenue Service.

He further agreed that he could not tell whether the funds belonged to the customer or how the customer chose to spend them, whether by cash withdrawal or online transfer. He also confirmed that there was no record before him showing when the business relationship between Kogi State Government and the account holder commenced.

According to him, “When there is money, there will be consistent withdrawal; when there is no money, there will be consistent no withdrawal.”

When asked whether all the inflows were withdrawn solely by Philip Kumar or if there were other beneficiaries, the witness said the focus was mainly on Kumar but admitted that there were other beneficiaries. He cited an instance on January 8, 2019, where ₦2.5 million was transferred with the narration “Visco Business Solution / Ayodele Adedipe.”
PW9 further stated that he did not know the 1st defendant and had never seen any of the defendants before.

Counsel to the 3rd defendant, A.M. Aliyu, SAN, also cross-examined the witness.

With no further questions from counsel, Justice Anineh discharged PW9 from the witness box and adjourned the matter to February 10 and 11, as well as March 11 and 12, 2026, for continuation of trial.

10/11/2025

EFCC Hands over Recovered N42.5m to 70-yr-old Widow Victim in Kaduna

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has handed over a bank draft of N42,500,000 (Forty-two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in favour of one Mrs. Margret Taye Odofin, a 70-year-old widow and retiree, recovered from her fraudulent account and investment officer, Mrs. Kehinde Olawale Yusuf, who worked in one of the new generation banks.

The handover, which took place on Thursday, November 2025 was done in the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Commission by its Acting director, Bawa Kaltungo on behalf of EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.

The widower, in a petition to the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the EFCC in December 2024, had alleged that Mrs. Yusuf, being her account and investment officer , had between November 2020 and December, 2020, 1lured her into investing in some ponzi businesses with a promise of a quarterly return on the investment of N1,700,000 (One Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira), but unknown to her, the banker’s motive was solely to defraud her as she later realised that the sum of N47 million had been creamed off her account and wired to various bank accounts without her permission. Mrs Yusuf cut off communications with her and fled to the United Kingdom after she made enquiries from her on the transactions. However, her flight out of the country could not deter the EFCC from tracing and recovering the stolen monetary assets.

An over-joyed Odofin was effusive with thanks and praises for the Commission and Olukoyede for the recovery.

"I cannot believe this because when we reported this case in the United Kingdom where Mrs Kehinde Yusuf absconded, after defrauding me, they said the offence was committed in Nigeria, hence they advised that we report to it the EFCC, which we did and today I am singing to the glory of God because God has used the Commission to wipe away my tears. I have waited for years to get my hard-earned money back.

“I want to thank Mr. Ola Olukoyede for the excellent job he is doing. I will campaign for the EFCC anywhere because today they have given me every reason to believe and testify that the Commission is working sincerely. I pray for you all that you continue to succeed,” she said.

Kaltungo at the event reiterated the commitment of Olukoyede’s leadership in getting justice for victims of financial fraud. "I want to sincerely appreciate you for having trust in the Commission to help you recover your hard-earned money. We are happy that we have convinced you of our professionalism and capacity to resolve any fraudulent activity within our mandate," he said.

22/10/2025

22/10/2025

16/10/2025

NACIWA Re-elects Olukoyede President, Ratifies ECOWAS Guidelines on Borderless Investigation, Asset Management

The Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa, NACIWA, on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, re-elected the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede as President and affirmed the adoption of guidelines on borderless investigations, asset tracing, recovery and management of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

In a Communique issued at the end of the Annual General Assembly, AGA, in Abuja on Wednesday and signed by all the ECOWAS member states present at the meeting, Olukoyede was widely commended for offering remarkable leadership and commitment to tackling trans-border economic and financial crimes in the sub-region.

The EFCC’s Chair and other Executive Committee members, who completed their first term at the end of the 7th Annual General Assembly of NACIWA in Abuja on Wednesday, were re-elected through “consensus renewal of their mandates” owing to their optimal and exemplary performance for another term of three years.

Also, all the member states “notes with satisfaction the adoption of the ECOWAS Guidelines on Borderless Investigations, Asset Tracing, Recovery, and Management, and calls on all Member States to integrate them into national frameworks to ensure harmonized implementation”

The AGA also reaffirms its commitment to the 2001 ECOWAS Protocol on the Fight against Corruption, the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC). While reaffirming the importance of regional cooperation in asset recovery, mutual legal assistance, and information exchange, it urged Member Institutions to strengthen coordination with national financial intelligence units and law enforcement agencies.

It acknowledged that the 7th AGA coincides with the commemoration of 50 years of ECOWAS, symbolizing renewed regional unity and collaboration and called on Member Institutions to take necessary steps to domesticate and operationalize the ECOWAS Protocol within their national systems to ensure alignment with regional commitments.

The Communique also stressed the need for continued collaboration with civil society organizations (CSOs), youth, and media networks to enhance advocacy and public participation in the fight against corruption.

The AGA expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “for his steadfast support and for declaring the Assembly open” on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 .

Tinubu, while declaring open AGA on Tuesday, called on ECOWAS, to designate resource theft particularly illegal mining, and mineral smuggling as international crimes, warning that the menace poses a grave threat to the peace, stability, and economic prosperity of the subregion.

“The time has come for ECOWAS to designate resource theft, illegal mining and stealing of minerals as an international crime that threatens the stability of the region, and galvanize the world against trade in stolen minerals from West Africa,” he said.

New member institutions were admitted into NACIWA, including the Code of Conduct Bureau( Nigeria). AGA also “welcomes the participation of CPC Cabo Verde as a new member”.

16/10/2025

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