By TAIYE AGBAJE

Two prosecution witnesses, on Monday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja how millions of Naira were paid into companies’ accounts linked to former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, his wife, Hajia Asabe, and son, Abdulaziz.

They gave the testimonies before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik while being led in evidence by the EFCC’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the trio are standing trial on a 16-count money laundering charges involving N8. 7 billion.

The anti-graft agency had, on March 6, opened its case against the defendants by calling its 1st prosecution witness (PW-1), David Ajoma, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank.

Upon resumed trial on Monday, Okutepa called more witnesses who gave graphic details of how millions of naira were paid into the accounts belonging to Meethaq Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan and Agro Allied Ltd and Khadimiya for Justice and Development Initiative.

Giving his evidence, Simon Daniel Kwayil, a compliance officer with Union Bank, Area 3, Garki, Abuja, told the court that in December 2025, his bank received a letter from the EFCC requesting for the bank documents, statements of account and certificate of compliance with respect to account No: 0179011105 belonging to Meethaq Hotels Limited.

Kwayil, the PW-2, said the bank responded on Dec. 23, 2025, by forwarding the aforementioned documents to the commission.

The documents were tendered and admitted in evidence and marked as Exhibit B series after the defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, reserved his objection to their admissibility.

The witness told the cou’t that the sole signatory to the account is the 2nd defendant (Asabe) based on the resolution of the Board of Meethaq Hotels Limited.

According to the witness, between Feb. 2, 2024 and April 3, 2024, there were instant transfers in the region of N48 million from the Meethaq Hotels Limited account in favour of Abubakar Malami and A.A. Malami and Co.

He narrated that the Meethaq Hotels Limited’s statement of account showed millions of naira as inflows and out flows.

Specifically, the banker disclosed that between Dec. 5, 2022 to April 14, 2023, the hotel received over N99 million as inflows into its account.

Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Daudu, the witness said no money was transferred into the accounts from any government agency.

He further added that he did not know the purpose of the transactions.

In his own evidence, the PW-3, Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank, Central Business District, Abuja, also gave details of transaction with the bank.

Egoro said sometimes in 2025, his bank received a letter from the EFCC requesting for certain documents including account opening packages, statements of account of Agro Allied Limited and Khadimiya for Justice and Development Initiative.

“We sent the documents as requested by the EFCC and attached cover up letters.

“For the Agro Allied Limited, the cover up letter was dated March 9, 2026, while that of Khadimiya for Justice Initiatives was dated Feb. 5, 2026,” the witness said.

Although, Daudu objected to the admissibility of the two letters, on the grounds that the witness was not a subpoenaed witness and did not make extra-judicial statement to the EFCC, his objection was overruled by the court.

The court held that the prosecution had clearly stated in the list of witnesses that a representative of Access Bank was going to give evidence.

Accordingly, the two letters were admitted in evidence and marked as Exhibits C1 and C2 respectively.

In the case of Exhibit C1, which relates to the bank documents in respect of Agro Allied Ltd, the witness told the court that the sole signatory to the account was Abdulaziz Malami Abubakar (3rd defendant).

He disclosed that Agro Allied Limited took a loan of N400 million from the bank which was paid into its account on Oct. 9, 2020.

Egoro however said the N400 million loan was fully paid on July 14, 2022.

According to Egoro, the N400 million loan was disbursed to New Horizon Ltd on Oct. 1, 2020.

He said the sum of N100 million was sent into New Horizon Ltd in five transactions of N20m each, while on Oct. 9, 2020, the sum of N100 million was sent into the account of Rayhaan Bustan.

On Exhibit C2, which contains bank’s documents of account No: 0828310158, belonging to Khadimiya for Justice and Development Initiatives, the PW-3 said the signatories to the account are Abdulaziz Malami; Usman Abubakar and Farouk Abubakar.

He said the total Inflows into the account beginning from Oct. 17, 2019 to March 3, 2020 was N77.986 million, while the total lodgement into the account between March 26, 2020 to Jan. 1, 2025 was N1.857 billion.

When Daudu asked the witness if he knew the purpose of the transaction, he said: “I did not know the purposes and objectives of the payments my lord.”

He also said that he did not know the people who made payments into your account.

He, however, told the court that there was no inflow into the account from any government agency.

Justice Andukmalik adjourned the matter until April 29 for continuation of trial. (NAN)