An official from the American International School, Abuja, testified in court that former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, paid a total of $1,606,763.68 in tuition fees for his children. This amount included an advance payment of $845,852 for his younger children who were yet to be enrolled in the school.
Nicholas Ojehomon, an auditor at the school, revealed this information while testifying as a prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Breakdown of Payments
Ojehomon confirmed that the payments covered tuition fees for Bello’s children until their graduation. According to him, the money was paid in two installments, with a significant portion set aside for future school fees.
Bello is currently facing an N80.2 billion fraud charge filed by the EFCC. As part of the case, the prosecution presented financial records, including statements from the American International School, detailing the payments made on behalf of Bello’s children.
Previous Testimonies and Investigations
During an earlier hearing on January 29, Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer with United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, testified under subpoena and submitted documents showing transactions related to the school fees.
The EFCC had previously alleged that shortly before leaving office, Bello made an advance payment of $760,000 for his children’s school fees. Following an investigation, the school reportedly refunded the money to the government.
Payment Process and Beneficiaries
During the recent hearing, Ojehomon testified that Bello’s brother, Ali Bello, facilitated the payments. “Mr. Ali Bello contacted the American International School, Abuja, on Friday, August 13, requesting to pay the school fees for Yahaya Bello’s children in advance until they graduate. The school management accepted his request,” Ojehomon stated.
The witness further disclosed that the payments covered four of Bello’s children, who were enrolled in Grades 8, 6, 4, and 2 at the time. Additionally, advance payments were made for younger children who were expected to start school in August 2022, depending on available space.
A breakdown of the payments showed that:
$90,074 was paid for the child in Grade 8
$87,470 for the child in Grade 6
$26,241 for the child in Grade 4
$18,707 for the child in Grade 2
The witness also confirmed that a contractual agreement existed between the school and Ali Bello, outlining the prepayment arrangement.
Refund and Financial Transactions
EFCC’s lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), presented the school’s admission records and prepaid tuition documents as evidence in court. When asked if any funds had been refunded to the EFCC, Ojehomon stated, “A total of $760,910.84 was refunded.” He further confirmed that the EFCC provided an account at the Central Bank of Nigeria to receive the refunded money.
Additionally, Williams, the second prosecution witness from UBA, submitted more financial documents, including statements from accounts linked to Bello’s administration. She testified that large sums of money were withdrawn from the Kogi State Government House account using cheques.
Government Account Withdrawals
Williams revealed that multiple withdrawals were made in tranches of N10 million. These transactions were primarily issued to two individuals: Abdulsalam Hudu and Aminu J.O.
“For instance, on December 12, 2018, ten transactions of N10 million each were processed in favor of Abdulsalam Hudu,” she stated.
She also listed the key signatories to the account, which included:
Christopher Enefola (Permanent Secretary)
Onekutu Daniel (Chief Accountant)
Abdulsalam Hudu (Accountant)
Defense Argument
During cross-examination, the defense pointed out that Yahaya Bello’s name was not directly linked to any of the transactions in the government account records.
“The name Yahaya Bello does not appear in exhibits P1 to P27,” defense counsel Daudu argued.
Williams admitted, “The name Bello did not appear anywhere.” She also clarified that she was not the account officer responsible for the Kogi Government House account and that it was managed from Lokoja, Kogi State, not her branch in Area 3, Abuja.
Next Court Date
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the trial to Friday, March 6, for the continuation of proceedings.
