Over $760,000 Paid as Advance School Fees for Yahaya Bello’s Children, EFCC Witness Tells Court
A prosecution witness on Thursday told a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama that more than $760,000 was paid as advance school fees for the children of former Yahaya Bello, the immediate past governor of Kogi State, at the American International School Abuja.
The witness, Nicholas Okehone, an internal auditor at the school, made the disclosure while testifying before Justice Maryann Anineh as the 14th prosecution witness in the ongoing trial.
The case is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which has charged Bello alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu with 16 counts of alleged criminal breach of trust involving about N110.4 billion.
During his testimony, Okehone told the court that Bello had four children enrolled at the American International School Abuja. Responding to questions from the prosecution, he confirmed that he knew the former governor in his capacity as a parent at the institution.
According to him, the children listed in the school’s records include Zahra Fatima Bello, Na’ima Bello, Nana Fatima Bello and Farid Bello. He added that Zayyan Ali Bello, a son of Ali Bello, who is a nephew of the former governor, also benefited from the prepaid tuition arrangement.
The prosecution presented several documents to the court, including admission letters, agreements covering prepaid tuition fees until graduation, and telex payment records from TD Bank in the United States. Other documents tendered included email correspondence between the school and Ali Bello, receipts, and statements from Zenith Bank and TD Bank.
Okehone explained that Ali Bello signed an agreement with the school covering advance payment of tuition for members of the Bello family. The arrangement included fees for the four children already enrolled as well as provision for a future student, Zayyan Ali Bello.
The witness further outlined various payments allegedly made in US dollars by different companies and individuals. He told the court that Forza Oil and Gas transferred $99,200 for Zahra Bello and $89,400 for Fatima Bello. Whales Oil and Gas also paid $11,000 for Fareeda Oricha, while Aleshua Solutions made payments of $78,160 for Fatima Bello and $42,170 for Na’ima Bello.
He added that another transfer of $44,700 from Forza Oil and Gas was made for Na’ima Bello through an account domiciled with Access Bank.
According to the witness, additional payments included $100,000 made by Manzi Issa from Uganda and $90,000 paid by Dada Grand Merchant Limited, also based in Uganda, for Zayyan Ali Bello.
Okehone said the school’s TD Bank account reflected multiple deposits corresponding with these payments, including transactions of $29,575, $44,675, $78,135, $42,145 and $74,920.71 made on September 7.
He confirmed that the payments were made in line with the agreement for advance tuition and stated that the school eventually refunded $760,910.64 to an account designated by the Central Bank of Nigeria following a request from the EFCC.
Earlier in the proceedings, another prosecution witness, James Igbakuleh, testified about the sale of a property located in Wuse 2, Abuja. He told the court that the property, measuring about 1,450.77 square metres at No. 1058 in Cadastral Zone A08, was sold in 2021 for N650 million.
Igbakuleh said he handled negotiations on behalf of his client, SFC Foods Limited, while Shehu Bello was involved in discussions regarding the purchase. He also stated that Ali Bello visited his office on two occasions in relation to the transaction.
In a separate testimony, the chief accountant of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company also told the court that a property in Gwarimpa II, Abuja, was sold in 2021 for N100 million. The witness, Mahmud Abdulaziz, said the payment was made in instalments over several days in February 2022 following negotiations with Ali Bello.
The court also heard testimony concerning another property located at 35 Danubi Street in Maitama, Abuja. A lawyer, Yakubu Haruna, said the property described as four units of four-bedroom apartments was sold for N950 million through a lawyer acting on behalf of White Tree Nigeria Limited.
Under cross-examination, several witnesses stated that they did not personally know the former governor or his co-defendants and could not confirm their direct involvement in the transactions.
The trial continues as the prosecution presents further evidence in the case.
