IT Consultant Reveals Commission Sharing with Kogi Officials in Bello's Trial

An IT and business consultant spoke to the FCT High Court in Abuja on Wednesday. He shared how he split the commission he got from his work with the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) with agency officials during Governor Yahaya Bello’s time in office.

Philip Kuma, owner of Bespoque Business Solutions Limited (BBSL) and Bespoque Global Concepts (BGC), said he had to give part of his company's commission to satisfy people he called “stakeholders.” He said this payment was part of their consultancy agreement.

Mr Kuma explained that his company worked as a consultant for KSIRS. They were responsible for automating the state's tax processes, handling back-duties, and conducting tax audits on businesses in Kogi. They also advised on tax policies and strategies between 2016 and 2022, during most of Mr Bello’s eight-year term as governor from January 2016 to January 2024.

He explained that during his time with KSIRS, he learned that involving “stakeholders” was necessary for the project's success. “The overall effect required the adoption in the field across the state, and to that effect I was made to understand we needed to engage certain stakeholders for the overall success of our business objectives,” he said. “And that means that we parted with some of our commission for the settlement of these stakeholders through Yakubu Hussaini, (former chairperson of the KSIRS),” he added.

Mr Kuma mentioned that the share for the “stakeholders” usually ranged from 50 to 60 percent on average. He said this was not written in the contract but was understood by all parties involved.

He spoke as the 18th prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the N110 billion fraud trial of former Kogi State Governor, Mr Bello. The trial started in September 2024. The EFCC is prosecuting Mr Bello along with Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on 16 counts of criminal breach of trust and diversion of N110 billion from Kogi State's funds while he was governor.

The EFCC claimed Mr Bello, who recently became the Kogi Central senatorial candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), used the money to buy properties and luxury houses in Abuja and Dubai. All the defendants denied the allegations.

Mr Kuma, who was led in evidence by EFCC’s lawyer, Kemi Pinheiro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said when his company started working with KSIRS, they agreed on a 15 percent commission on the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) above 350 million. He said this percentage was changed several times until it dropped to five percent.

The witness also identified his companies' bank statements that a previous witness submitted. BBSL had an account with Zenith Bank, and BGC had one with Sterling Bank. He clarified that both companies are separate entities. He explained that BBSL is a limited liability company.

He stated that statutory withholding tax on payments made to BBSL was sent to the Federal Internal Revenue Service (FIRS). He said BGC was registered in Kogi State, so the withholding tax went to the state instead of FIRS, which is now called Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).

According to him, Mr Hussaini (former chairperson of KSIRS) later picked Jamiu Salau as a signatory to BBS, allowing him to sign independently.

Mr Kuma identified several inflows from KSIRS and immediate withdrawals made by Mr Salau. Mr Pinheiro highlighted a specific withdrawal on 17 August 2017 to Efab Properties Limited totaling N70 million. Mr Kuma denied authorizing that transfer, stating it happened “at the time Jamiu Salau was signatory to the project account.”

After receiving over N259 million in the account, two companies, Echis Materials and Quant and Kalaz Ventures Limited, were credited. Mr Kuma confirmed those transactions were not his but Mr Salau’s.

He admitted that he sometimes withdrew cash, but there were no complaints from his principals about failing his duties.

In January, the sixth prosecution witness, Arhyel Mshelia, told the court that transactions from KSIRS to BBSL’s account at Zenith Bank had no clear purpose. In the same month, the ninth prosecution witness, David Ajoma, said KSIRS transferred over N1.1 billion to BBSL within eight months during Mr Bello’s time.

During cross-examination by the lawyers for Messrs Bello and Oricha, Paul Daudu, who is also a SAN, Mr Kuma said he did not believe the defendants were aware of the agreement to pay the stakeholders, and his company was not informed about it. Mr Kuma also said he did not know who the stakeholders were when asked by Mr Hudu’s lawyer, Z.E Abbas.

He added that the reduction of his company's commission from 15 to 5 percent was a mutual agreement. He confirmed that Mr Salau was made signatory to the company’s account with his consent.

When asked about the EFCC's invitation to him, he said he wrote his statements over three years from 2021 to 2024.