From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Third Prosecution Witness (PW3), Nicholas Ojehomon, in the trial of a former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, on Thursday, 6 March 2025, narrated before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, how the defendant paid his children’s school fees in dollars and in advance until their graduation.
The witness, an internal auditor at the American International School, Abuja (AISA), stated that, although he didn’t know Yahaya Bello personally, he was aware that he was a parent of children enrolled in the school.
“I did not know the defendant personally, but I am aware that he is a parent of children enrolled in our school,” he said. Upon reviewing the school’s admission letters, the witness identified the defendant’s children as Zayan Bello, Zara Bello, Farid Bello, Na’ima Bello, and Nana Fatima Bello. He also confirmed that each child was admitted in different academic years.
His examination of Exhibit 12, which is the agreement for prepaid tuition fees, revealed that Ali Bello, Yahaya Bello’s cousin, had contacted the school in 2021 to pay the children’s fees in advance until their graduation. Prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, tendered a set of documents in evidence that included certified copies of the AISA admission letters for the defendant’s children, a contractual agreement for prepaid tuition until graduation, teller copies of payments, email correspondence between Ali Bello and the school, as well as statements of account from TD Bank USA and the American International School. There was no objection from the defence counsel, and the court admitted the documents as exhibits.
When asked about the payments made, the witness confirmed that significant sums were paid for each child. According to him, Farid Bello’s fees amounted to $90,074, Zara Bello’s to $87,470, Na’ima Bello’s to $26,241, and Nana Bello’s to $18,707. The prosecution also presented Exhibit 17, a letter from the American International School to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) requesting a valid account number for the refund of the fees. The document indicated two amounts: $845,082.84 and $750,910.84, with the latter sum earmarked for a refund to the EFCC. Exhibit 18, a letter from the EFCC to AISA, showed that the refund was to be made to a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account.
Earlier, the Second Prosecution Witness (PW2), Williams Abimbola, a compliance officer with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), who testified under subpoena, presented documents including a statement of account belonging to the Kogi State Government House. The statement, marked as Exhibit 8, showed a total credit of N53.56 billion and a total debit of N53.55 billion between January 2019 and December 2020.
During cross-examination, PW2 confirmed that several N10 million withdrawals were made in favour of one Abdulsalam Hudu on 12 December 2018. She further stated that the transactions were conducted using cheques, processed over the counter.
The prosecution counsel, during re-examination of PW2, clarified that Exhibit 2P1, being the certificate of compliance, was signed on behalf of Edward Bamanga, the relevant bank official, thus confirming the authenticity of the financial documents. “All records presented are verifiable and were duly obtained in line with legal procedures,” the prosecution counsel stated.
The defence counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, questioned how the witness, an Abuja-based compliance officer of UBA, could scrutinise an account domiciled in the Lokoja Branch of her bank. Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until Friday, 7 March 2025, for the continuation of the trial. Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, narrated these details in a statement on Thursday evening.