Evidence tampering: Judge withdraws from ex-Gov Bello nephew’s N10bn fraud case

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja recused himself from the N10 billion money‑laundering case against Ali Bello, nephew of former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello, on Thursday after evidence‑tampering allegations surfaced.

The case, preferred by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), charges Bello and alleged accomplice Dauda Sulaiman with laundering money. On 5 February the court had ordered the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate court registrar Nasiru Onimisi Zubairu for collusion with the defendants in tampering with exhibits marked N and O.

During the resumed hearing, registrar Zubairu admitted that Sulaiman had approached him to delete WhatsApp messages that were part of the evidence. Justice Omotosho played the registrar’s recorded confession in open court, and EFCC witness Muhammed Audu Abubakar confirmed that the messages in the exhibits had indeed been deleted.

“We have zero tolerance for this kind of attitude. The person involved is here. I will call him so that you will hear it from the horse’s mouth,” the judge said.

Because the security agencies had not yet produced their investigative report seven months after the alleged tampering was first reported, Omotosho said the unresolved issue made it impossible to rely on the evidence. He therefore withdrew from the case, citing the risk of bias, and returned the file to the Chief Judge for reassignment.

The defendants had applied for a no‑case submission, arguing that the EFCC’s evidence failed to establish a prima facie case. The EFCC had closed its case on 2 June after 17 witnesses testified, but the judge’s recusal left the matter unresolved, underscoring the importance of evidence integrity in Nigeria’s anti‑corruption prosecutions.

<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>